The Republic
by RedHerring1290
Summary: Finally coming of age, all Locke wanted to do was vote for the first time, but his goals begin to shift after he meets a girl desperate and lonely enough to tag along for the ride. Sorry about the late update. Explanation inside.
1. Prologue

A/N: This is the first part of my first story on here. It's also an expiramental concept of using history to craft the setting of the story. The elements of history should be easy to spot so keep that in mind. The two actual main characters which should come in chapter 1 will be more original than the characters in the prologue. Please review, yada, yada, yada. If you have to critisize do it nicely. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon and in no way expect to earn money from this story. If I thought I could actually get this published, I would have gone to the owners with the idea... Man I'm poor...

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**Prologue  
**

I shuddered as I realized what I was about to do. I was not just betraying my country, I was prepared for that, but I was also crossing the figurative line in the sand; the line between rebelling in an attempt to restore one's rights within one's own nation and breaking away from that nation all together through revolt. I took a deep sigh as I put pen to paper and wrote _"When in the course of history it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands…"_

The pen moved slowly as the young Pikachu put his personal decree of treason into paper. A much older Raichu watched from his side of the cave proud of the young Pokemon for finally taking a stand for his beliefs. Although an accomplished writer himself, this job needed to fall on the next generation. He had been there since the first seeds of dissent had been sowed, and had been responsible for planting more than a few of them. He was old though, and knew it no longer fell upon his shoulders. No…his time was over. He had lived twice as long as most were expected to during those times.

Besides, he doubted he could do any better than Thomas. The kid was definitely a genius in regard to words. Sure there were others who could write more emotionally, more fiery, such as that Zangoose, Paine, but this task didn't call for that. This needed clarity of thought, an elegance of speech that would last for generations, maybe even centuries.

"So how's it coming?"

"Good, Ben," Thomas said, "I've got a good feeling about this one."

Ben got up from the rock he was sitting on and began walking toward the entrance. "I'm going to go for a walk. Remember, if any loyalists or Crawdaunt soldiers arrive hide the document. We don't want to declare our treason openly…just yet."

"OK Ben," Thomas replied, too immersed in his writings to hear.

Ben strolled out of the cave and released some built up electricity into the clouds above him. He had been a successful scientist in his prime, as well as a writer and a battler, and was in fact the first electric type to figure out that rain clouds made the thunder attack more accurate. He watched as a bolt of lightning struck down from the clouds into the tree he'd been aiming for and smirked.

"Just as strong and accurate as ever Ben," said a Gallade as he walked into the clearing through the forest. "How's the document coming?"

"It's coming along fine and should be ready for the meeting tomorrow, Striker."

"Don't push the kid too hard, old friend. The Declaration is only the first step."

"I thought forming the army had been the first step."

"True, but this is the first time we've openly admitted to this being a revolution. Before, we were just trying to get our rights as citizens of the empire restored."

Ben's smug demeanor suddenly changed to that of worry, his old age showing through. "What if we're wrong Striker? What if we end up with a tyranny worse than that of the King's?" the Raichu said almost at a whisper.

"That may happen, but we'll never be free if we don't try. Our fellow pokemon deserve at least that. Besides, I'm rather sick of toasting to the health of that fat, spoiled Purguly of a Persian at every dinner. It hurts troop morale," the Gallade stated in a matter of fact sort of voice.

Ben smirked at this as his youthful demeanor returned. "You do realize that in the Empire homeland you would have already been beheaded, don't you?"

"But that would be a blessing if it meant not serving his royal ass all the time," Striker claimed, almost losing his straight face in the process.

"Ah, but what if the last thing you see is that ass?" Ben replied, laughter creeping into his voice.

"Than that would truly be a fate worse than death!" Striker stated before both burst into laughter.

Times like this were rare and would be rarer still as the uprising accelerated into a full blown revolution. Both the Gallade and the Raichu were expected to lead in the upcoming battles; Striker on the battlefield and Ben in the formulation of the new government, so it was best to get the jokes out of the way now.

Both looked up, however, as a Haunter floated through the shadows toward them; saluting the Gallade, before giving his message.

"General Striker, my scouts have detected three Wailord, each ferrying four brigades of Crawdaunt to the port seven miles up the coast. Sir…we have reason to believe they know the location of the delegation's secret meeting site."

"How is that possible Benedict!? Nobody, with the exception of the delegates and myself, know of the clearing's true location!"

"Are you absolutely sure they know where it is?" Ben added in.

"Yes, it seems that the information was leaked somehow, sir," the Haunter replied while hiding a slight grin in the shadow of the trees.

"I see…" the Gallade responded contemplating what he had just heard, "OK, split off the poison, dark, and ghost militias from the main force and march them to the valley six miles to the west of our present location. Once there set up defensive positions and protect that valley at all costs!"

"Yes, sir!" Benedict replied a little too enthusiastically, unable to hide the smile that spread on his mouth as he tuned to walk away.

After the Haunter was gone, Ben turned toward Striker saying, "You do realize the delegation hasn't used that location for over a year now?"

At which Striker replied, "Yes, but I have a feeling that the Empire will attack that location all the same."

"And why is that?"

"Because that's what I just told their number one informant."

"How do you know it's Benedict?" the Raichu asked, mildly shocked.

"We share quarters and he talks in his sleep, but him being a spy isn't the half of it…"

"Do tell," Ben said expectantly.

"That ghost is really messed up. He speaks of type purity in his sleep too, and seems to be extremely ambitious. Even if we win this, his betrayal is going to come back to haunt us. Ghosts are hard to kill. Even if they are pokemon…"

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A/N: So there you have it. The prologue to _The Republic._ I feel like I really accomplished something today. Once again please review. I'm competing with my sister for the most positive reviews in a story. Don't spare me the negative ones, however, I still want to hear them. Next chapter we meet at least one of the main characters, so if you can't wait till then, too bad. I swear, no one has any patience any more.


	2. The Traveler and the Lonely Girl

A/N- After a much needed three day weekend (snow day in Texas. Who knew?) I've finally completed the first chapter. *Fireworks go off in the background* I know I labeled this story with a Ralts for the main character, but Kirlia just isn't in the options menu. I poured over that thing, but to no avail. It's ridiculous! I found Ralts, and I found Gardevoir, but I couldn't find Kirlia! Oh well. Don't mind my rant. Here's the story.

Oh by the way, this takes place a while after the prolouge. The Revolution succeeded, but that's all I'll reveal here. The rest will come in later chapters.

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The Traveler and the Lonely Girl

Rain pelted a small figure as he ran through the forest. He was in almost total darkness, the trees filtering out any moonlight the clouds let through. He had to escape. He had to get away, but in doing so had gotten himself completely lost.

Focusing his Aura the best he could, the Riolu began to look for a hiding place. He was young and untrained, but was able to find what he was looking for. There was a big tree some fifty yards to the right with large roots that formed natural shelters. Changing directions he dashed for the tree.

Upon reaching it, he dove under the shelter of one of the larger roots, putting his paw to his mouth to prevent himself from breathing too hard. His heartbeat grew loud, pounding away in his ears like a drum. Gradually he began to hear his pursuers closing in on his position. Focusing his Aura again, he heightened his senses to get a better picture.

There were two of them; a Houndoom and a Croagunk. They began to slow as they came near the tree he was hiding under, eventually stopping a few yards away.

"Something's wrong, his trail has stopped," the Houndoom said in an annoyed tone, "the rain must have washed it away."

"No, we were right behind him, so we should still be able to track him," replied the Croagunk, "He probably found himself a hiding spot. Let's look around a bit before we move on."

The Riolu tensed as he heard this, realizing he may have to fight his way out of this. He had run into the duo the day before and had refused to pay them for their "protection." Since they had been in a village at the time and didn't want to attract the attention of the local sheriff they simply said, "This isn't over!" and stormed off.

He had been hoping that was the end of it, but they were true to their words and had stalked him on the way out of town the next day to try to jump him. Barely getting away, he had run until he reached the spot he was in now. He had to give it to them, they were persistent. If they focused that energy on making an honest living they could probably wind up fabulously rich.

Coming to his senses, he focused his Aura again, looking for possible escape routes. He almost panicked as he realized he had put himself into a corner. The only thing he could do was pray they didn't find him. Outside, the duo was still conversing with each other over what to do.

"Maybe we should just call it quits," said the Houndoom, "we both know he doesn't have any money."

"It's not about the money anymore. He disrespected us and needs to be taught a damn lesson," replied the Croagunk, his voice getting louder.

"Just forget it. We've been running for hours and haven't got any closer to him. He has more endurance than a Fearow that's caught an updraft."

"SHUT UP!!! WE WILL CATCH HIM AND PUNISH THE BASTARD FOR WHAT HE'S DONE!" screamed the Croagunk.

"Quiet down. If he didn't know we were here before, he does now."

The Croagunk took a deep breath, visibly shaking from the effort it was taking to control him self. After calming down a bit he finally said, "You're right, I'm reading too much into this… Let's just head home."

"Good. Besides, he's probably gone by now anyways."

They both turned and began to walk away. The Riolu allowed himself a sigh of relief as he made himself comfortable. He was too tired to find himself another shelter and this one seemed to be dry. Exhausted he quickly slipped into the abyss of sleep.

***

The Riolu opened his eyes slowly as light drifted in through the canopy above. His body ached all over from the difficult day before. He groaned as he sat up, removing a rock from his side that he had slept on all night.

His name was Locke, and he had been heading toward the Capitol when those two had jumped him. In his desperation he had fled blindly into the forest and now had no way of knowing where the hell he was. Groaning again, he slowly stood up and looked around. With the exception of sleeping on that rock, he had picked the perfect shelter to sleep in. The roots provided cover from the wind and rain, and the ground around the tree was slightly uphill, keeping water from running through the shelter.

Standing up, Locke yawned and stepped out of the shelter. The trees obscured much of the morning light, giving everything a greenish tone. Using his Aura, he gathered the details of his surroundings, noticing a road not too far to the east.

Upon reaching the road, he picked up his pace a bit hoping to reach some sort of recognizable landmark. After jogging for several miles he came upon a fork in the road. One way led to the north which meant it probably led to the Capitol, but the other path, which went in a westward direction, seemed to be pulling him towards it. Dismissing the feeling, he began down the northward path, but stopped and looked back. He was being drawn in the other direction. His curiosity getting the better of him, Locke turned around and headed down the other path.

***

Hiding in the bushes next to the road, a Kirlia smiled to herself. The emotions she was sending to the Riolu were working. It wasn't often she got visitors and she wasn't going to let a possible friend just pass the road to her home without so much as saying hi to her. It didn't hurt that he was cute, either. She sent him more mental images of the route to her home along with more feelings of longing. She had hoped to lead him there without actually having to confront him. Standing up, she began the long walk down the road staying far enough away that he couldn't see her.

Ever since her father had given up his position as leader of their new country, she had been lonely. She missed the excitement of the Revolution and the social gatherings that came after it. Her father, however, didn't miss it at all, saying he was "sick of other pokemon and their stupid problems." They had moved out into the wilderness, isolated from any town or city, so she didn't get to see other pokemon very often. Even worse, though, was that her father would disappear into the wilderness for weeks at a time, leaving her completely and utterly alone. She continued down the path for a ways losing herself in her thoughts.

Suddenly a blue blur appeared from the dense canopy, causing her to let out a startled scream as she fell onto her butt in a very painful manner. Looking up she realized it was the Riolu she had been leading down the path and her horns set off alarms in her head, sensing his anger.

"Who are you and why are you trying lead me down this road?!" an obviously angry Locke yelled at her.

"I-I…" the Kirlia began to stammer; bewildered by the fact he had caught on so quickly. She hadn't expected to lead him the entire way there by thought alone, but she had figured she had more time to come up with something to say to him.

"Who are you?!" he shouted again a snarl forming on his face.

"M-my na-name is Grace…" the startled Kirlia replied. She began to tremble at the ferocity in the other pokemon's voice, her horns magnifying the effect as she felt his powerful emotions cascade upon her like the thunder storm that had drenched the forest only last night.

"Why the hell were you manipulating me?!" he said less fiercely, but demanding none the less.

"I j-just wanted to…" Grace began, but trailed off into an inaudible mumble. A mixture of fear and embarrassment now plagued her heart. Even if she had managed to get him to her home, what then? He would have been just as angry.

"Tell me!"

"I just wanted to know you…" she mumbled out almost inaudibly. She was on the brink of despair, fearing she would be left alone again. Her father had left yesterday and she couldn't stand the thought of being alone any longer.

The anger on Locke's face changed to surprise. "Then why didn't you just ask me?"

She watched as his angry emotions finally gave way to concern for her and she eventually replied, "I was afraid you would just leave me alone again…I don't want to be alone anymore…" Hardly able to get these words out, she finally released all of her built up sadness, bursting into tears.

***

Locke frowned. He regretted having snapped at her so harshly. Grace was sitting on the ground sobbing her eyes out and he wanted desperately to make her stop. With his anger no longer clouding his vision, he finally noticed how easy her Aura was to read. He had never been able to see a strangers Aura so clearly and he could feel her despair suffocating him.

Inexperienced with social contact in general, he had no idea how to console her. Led by what seemed to be instinct, however, he knelt down and took her in his arms, hugging her tightly. She responded by pulling him closer and continuing to sob into his shoulder. They sat together like that for a long time, until Grace's crying slowed to more of a sniffle. Finally Locke noticed a peace come about her Aura. Emotionally exhausted, she had fallen asleep in his arms.

Locke, picked her up, being careful not to disturb her and continued walking down the path.

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A/N- Whew... you have no idea what it took to write that. I rewrote that last part several times, trying to get Grace's character right. To think my first draft had her acting like a hyper active eight year old who just wanted a friend. There was hardly any emotional conflict to her. Oh well, it all turned out a lot better with me not rushing the update, so I'm gonna say that makes up for it not being written so fast. Special thanks for this chapter goes to xxxxxSilverDrumxxxxx for keeping my spirits up with her encouraging review. I'll try to make the next chapter a little less dramatic with a bit more humor and I'm planning on revealing some of the tying threads to the prologue. Remember your three R's: Rest, Relax, and Review!


	3. Behind the Waterfall

A/N- Not a ton of action in this chapter, so sorry. It's also pretty long. We learn a little more about Locke and Grace, though so it should be good. R&R.

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Behind the Waterfall

Grace slowly opened her eyes, confused as to where she was. Above her, lamps with their bases dug into a stone ceiling gave off a warm, friendly glow. She was home.

Trying to recollect how she had ended up back in her home, she slowly recalled bursting out into tears in front of that Riolu. Remembering him holding her confused her even more. Why had he done that? When she had begun to break down, she had felt certain he would just walk away, leaving her alone…

Sitting up, Grace looked around her room. He must have brought her here, using the very images she had used to trick him to lead him to her home. She had done similar things before, but it had never bothered her like this. Feeling a wave of guilt overcome her, she began to cry again. She didn't deserve the kindness he had showed her. Collecting herself, she managed to suppress the tears some.

Standing up, and walking into the chamber that served as her den, she looked anxiously for the Riolu. He was nowhere to be seen. Grace began to lose control again, and felt the tears start to stream down her face. She sat on the floor, hugging her knees and shutting her eyes. He had taken pity on her and dropped her off at her home, but that was it. He had gone. She was alone.

Feeling arms reach around her in a warm embrace she cautiously opened her eyes, fearing she was imagining the comforting hold around her; but it wasn't her imagination, it was him.

***

Locke had slept next to her bed for most of the night, afraid she would cry again if he left her alone for even a minute. Towards morning, however, he decided it would be alright to go out and gather some food for when she awoke. Leaving her side, he crept out of what he assumed to be her room, careful not to wake her.

Leaving her home, Locke realized what a marvel the structure was. It was built into the base of a steep hill and was surrounded by trees. Not just a simple burrow, it went deep into the earth and was completely furnished with stone from the surrounding area. Perfectly camouflaged on the outside, it was a wonder he hadn't missed it the night before. It had been the work of an expert craftsman.

Continuing on his way, he came across a berry patch. Realizing he had forgotten to grab something to store them in, he began picking long blades of grass, quickly weaving them into a makeshift basket. His mother had taught him this skill a few months before… Locke shook his head, pushing back the painful memory before it could overwhelm him and silently began to pick the berries.

Content with the number and variety he had picked, he made his way back to the hillside dwelling. He hadn't been gone very long, so he figured she would still be asleep. He opened the wooden door, being as quiet as possible. Entering the home he began to pick up on a sad Aura, Grace's Aura. Locke moved further into the home and it became stronger so he picked up his pace.

Walking into the main chamber, he saw Grace hugging her knees, sobbing quietly. Overwhelmed with guilt for leaving her alone, he rushed over to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. He shouldn't have left her. He should have known she would be devastated at his absence. She was so lonely…He hugged her tighter, hoping to drive her sadness away.

Slowly she began to recover and was able to get out a few words. "I thought you had left me…" she said, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up," and then Locke surprised even himself as he continued, "I promise I won't leave you alone, ever again…"

***

Grace's eyes widened as the young Riolu said this. She had prayed and fantasized about someone swooping in to rescue her from her misery, but had never thought it was possible.

Tightening her hug around him, she could only let out two words, "Thank you…" before the tears began to stream down her face again, but, for the first time she could remember, they were tears of joy.

***

Locke held her for a long time, until the last tear had fallen from her face. Then, reluctantly releasing his hold on her, he stood up.

"I picked us some berries if you're hungry," he said, picking up the basket he had unknowing put down on his way inside. Beginning to walk to the next room, Grace stood up and began to follow him. They walked into another chamber which seemed to double as a dining room and a kitchen and sat down at a stone table.

Grace, finally gathering enough courage to speak, said "I never got to ask you your name…"

"My name is Locke and…I'm sorry about snapping at you so violently yesterday. I…" he trailed off unable to finish.

Sensing his guilt, Grace quickly said, "No, I shouldn't have tried to manipulate you. I have a…bad habit about doing that… I'm sorry."

Locke smiled; he was beginning to understand her. Despite her manipulative tendencies, she seemed to have a kind heart. Finishing his berries, he stood up and stretched. It was still early in the morning so he decided it might be a good idea to get some training in. Turning to Grace who averted her eyes to hide the fact that she had been staring at him, he said, "I'm going to go get some training in, if you would like to watch me."

Grace eagerly nodded and stood up to follow Locke out of her home.

***

'When he had said training, he had really meant it', Grace thought to herself. In the clearing in front of her, Locke had set up a complicated training ground and was using it to the fullest. A jungle gym of vines was tied between some trees and some old logs were placed in various places between them.

At the moment, Locke was unleashing a string of force palms into the logs. Grace could only stare in wonder as the logs burst in half at each of his hits. Using agility, Locke moved faster and faster, breaking the smaller pieces of wood as they flew into the air from his previous attacks. His speed amazed her and she was startled when he suddenly stopped, splinters lying all around his feat.

"That was amazing!" she said, unable to contain her awe.

Hearing her, he merely smiled before a serious look came across his face. Locke's ears seemed to twitch as he focused in on something.

"What's wrong?" Grace asked with a concerned look on her face.

Locke held up a hand to quiet her and closed his eyes. She stared at him in wonder, when suddenly he broke his concentration and dived toward her, pushing her to the ground as a flamethrower passed through the spot where she had just been standing.

***

'Damn it, why were _they _here?' Locke thought while he was focusing his Aura. The Croagunk and Houndoom from before were hiding in the bushes a little ways from the clearing. He had no idea how long they had been hiding there and he cursed himself for not noticing them sooner.

Sensing the Houndoom prepare for an attack, Locke dived toward her, knocking her on to the ground, out of the way of the incoming attack. Grabbing her arm and pulling her up, he began to run, tossing her behind him so that he was carrying her piggyback. Without protest she wrapped her arms around him as he dashed through the woods.

"What was that about?" she asked, still startled a bit from the sudden attack.

Glancing upward, he replied, "Just some crooks with way to much pride. They tried to jump me just before the storm hit, but I managed to evade them so they gave up. Or at least that's what I thought. They must have come back and picked up my trail again."

He let out a loud sigh before finishing, "Sorry I got you into this."

"It's okay; I know where we can hide. Head north, there's a waterfall with a cave behind it that would make a good hiding spot."

Locke looked at her puzzled. He had sensed something strange in her Aura, like she wasn't telling him everything. Her old habits of deceiving would die hard, apparently. Dismissing it as unimportant, he continued to sprint into the woods.

***

Back in the clearing, the two thieves were watching the Riolu sprint off into the woods with a Kirlia on his back.

The Croagunk was the first to speak, "Damn it, Mark! That's twice he's been able to avoid one of our ambushes! Damn him to hell! And this time he had another pokemon with him when he ran off, but he was just as fast as before!"

To this, the Houndoom, Mark, replied, "Why did we attack him anyways, Cain? I thought we already established there isn't a real reason for us to be chasing him. We weren't really tracking him in the first place." Then he adding a little sarcastically, "Besides, he's got a girl with him now, so it would be _dishonorable_ to come between them."

Cain flinched at his words, obviously annoyed at his partner for bringing honor into the conversation, "Fine, let's just move our asses to the Capitol. Criminals or not, we still need to vote."

Grateful at his friend giving in, he began to walk away, calling back, "Yeah, it's supposed to be a hell of an election this term; with the possibility of war and all."

"I know, I know. Let's try to make the best of it. There's a lot of money to be made during war times," Cain replied, grinning mischievously and forgetting all about the Riolu.

They walked in the opposite direction of Locke, continuing their conversation as they went…

***

Grace was feeling slightly guilty at what she was doing. The cave she was leading him to would dampen her psychic powers, as well as his ability to use Aura. Her plan was to get to know him there, so there wouldn't be any doubt in his mind that she wasn't manipulating him. She didn't want to keep tricking him, but she was afraid of what his reaction might be.

Locke had slowed down to a walk, but was still carrying her piggy back. He was being a little overprotective in her view, but she was enjoying it so she didn't complain. The guilt was beginning to really gnaw at her now so she finally said, "Locke, can we take a break for a second? I need to tell you something before we go any further."

Locke looked at her confused, but put her down anyways. "What is it Grace?" he asked in a concerned tone, as he put her down.

Taking a deep breath, she replied, "The cave we're heading towards has some…strange properties, I think you might want to know about…"

"Like what?" Locke asked, still concerned.

"Something in the cave blocks out psychic attributes…as well as the ability to sense Aura…"

"Oh…ok, if that's all, let's keep going"

"You're not angry with me?" she asked, becoming confused at his reaction.

"Why should I be? You said so yourself that the rocks block out psychic energy as well. It doesn't give you any sort of advantage over me, so I can only assume you have a good reason for wanting to go there."

Grace was touched. She had barely known him for two days and he already trusted her. Tears of happiness beginning to gather in her eyes, she turned away from him, hoping he wouldn't notice. She had cried too much around him already.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

***

Locke smiled at how she tried to hide the tears that were filling her eyes. Even though he barely knew her, he could already feel bond forming between them. He had promised to never leave her and he never broke a promise. His mother had made that mistake as had his father before her, so he wasn't going to do the same. He pushed the thoughts out of his head, turning back to Grace.

"We'd better get going. Those crooks might still be after us," he said, bending down again so she could hop on his back.

"Are you sure it's ok?" Grace asked.

"I already told you, I trust you."

"No, I mean…you carrying me…"

"Oh that? Don't worry about it. I can sense how worn out you are."

"You're just as tired as I am, if not more," Grace replied with a grin beginning to show on her face, amused by his attempts to hide how tired he was.

"If you don't want me to car-" Locke began, but Grace cut him off by jumping on his back before he could finish.

"I never said I didn't want to," Grace said, smiling.

"Alright then, let's head to the cave," Locke replied as he stood up and began to jog toward the waterfall which he heard in the distance.

***

It had turned out that Locke was much more worn out than he had led on to be; having to let Grace down halfway to the cave. Grace didn't mind, worrying more about his health than her own comfort. She enjoyed the walk none the less, loving the feeling of being in his company. She didn't even dare to speak, wanting to just soak up his presence.

It wasn't to be, however, as Locke broke the silence, asking, "So what's the reason for visiting this special cave, anyways?"

"You're going to think it's a bit childish…but I wanted to prove I wasn't tricking you into staying with me...Once we get there, both of our powers will be suppressed so there will be no way for me to manipulate you. Without my psychic abilities I'm a terrible liar."

"That's not childish at all. It's perfect; and if the cave is well hidden, we'll be able to drop our guard a bit and rest some. I'd really enjoy that after what I've been through the past couple of days."

Stars began to fill Grace's deep blue eyes, "You really think so?" At this point she was really beginning to bond with Locke. She began to stare dreamily off into the distance as they continued to walk, imagining herself by his side as not just his friend, but his lover. Locke didn't seem to notice this, however, and if he did, he hid it really well.

They eventually reached the waterfall and it was impressive, cascading nearly a hundred feet from the river above. A mist obscured the entire bottom half of the waterfall, the roar being the only evidence the water wasn't just disappearing into thin air. A pristine rainbow seemed to add the final, perfecting touch to its beauty.

"The path to the cave is right here," Grace said, as she pointed to what seemed more like a narrow ledge than a path, "Just stay close to me, the mist makes it real hard to see."

"What a hiding spot…" Locke said after whistling in approval, "if those crooks are still following us, they'll never find us in there."

Grace reached for his paw and pulled him toward the ledge she had been pointing to earlier, blushing slightly as she did so. Pulling Locke along behind her she walked along the ledge being careful not to lose her footing. An outcropping above them just barely jutted ahead of the ledge keeping the waterfall from soaking them from head to toe.

Still blushing as she held on to Locke's paw, Grace felt the wall behind her recede quickly, marking the entrance to the cave. Moving into the cave, she felt her psychic abilities begin to numb and soon lost them all together.

***

Locke followed close behind Grace, the roar of the waterfall sounding loudly in his ears. The wall suddenly giving way to the cave, he almost started to panic as Grace's Aura began to disappear, increasing his hold on her to make sure she was still there. Remembering the strange properties the cave held, he kept himself from saying anything.

"Have you started to feel the effects yet?" Locke jumped at the sudden question.

Feeling embarrassed, he replied, "Yeah, I can feel the effects. In truth, I feel a little vulnerable."

Reaching the end of the cave, they sat down facing each other. Locke began to blush as he stared into her eyes for the first time. They were a deep, ocean blue, unlike most of her kind who had red eyes. Losing himself as he stared into them, he was startled back into reality when Grace asked her first question.

"So where were you going before you met me?"

"I was heading to the Capitol. The election is this year and it was going to be the first time I got to vote."

"Ok, now your turn," she said getting nervous at what he might ask.

Locke thought for a moment before coming up with a question, "If you hate living alone, how come you continue live out here by yourself?"

Grace flinched at the question. It was painfully obvious to Locke that the subject depressed her, but she took a deep breath and finally said, "My father lives with me, or he does sometimes… He stays for a few days and then leaves for weeks on end and I have no idea where he goes…"

Locke nodded, finally realizing why she was so lonely. She wanted to be here for her father, but that meant living alone for long stretches of time. The thought of putting that kind of pressure on someone, even if he was her father, made Locke seethe with anger. Getting control of himself he asked, "Would you like to come with me to the Capitol?"

Grace's eyes widened at this, "It's been so long since I've left and I was afraid to go by myself…You'd really take me?"

"Of course. I promised I wouldn't leave you, but I still want to go to vote. We don't have to leave if you don't want to though."

Grace quickly exclaimed, "Yes, I'll come with you!" jumping up and hugging him.

Hugging her back, Locke replied, "Then it's settled, we'll spend the rest of today gathering supplies and tomorrow we'll head out."

* * *

A/N-There we go. Not to much of a cliffhanger, but still there's one there. Thanks again to xxxxxSilverDrumxxxxx for letting me bounce ideas off of her. What will Locke and Grace see in the Capitol? Will we finally learn the country's actual name? Who's Grace's father? Why would I know? I haven't gotten that far yet! And to those who are asking about the prologue, General Striker is based on Washington. I thought it was easy to see, but apparently not. Oh well, review please!


	4. The First Day

A/N- Third chapter's! Celebrate! Just a little? Please... Jerks... Anyways, if you've got anything to say to me then REVIEW. I shouldn't have to ask every time so just do it! Longest chapter so far. I've gotton better at that.

* * *

The First Day

Locke was running. Something was wrong. The massive tree that had served as his home for so long was burning in the distance. A thick layer of smoke covered the ground, suffocating him and clouding his vision. He ran faster, trying to save what was left of his shattered family.

His brother, he had to reach his brother before it was too late. But the more he ran, the farther he had to go. The road in front of him seemed to stretch into eternity. Suddenly, he fell to the ground, and was completely incapable of movement.

"Pathetic. You can't even protect your own brother." His father's voice echoed in his head.

His mother's voice soon followed. "Why didn't you save him? I told you to protect him!"

Clutching his head in pain, he fell to the ground, screaming. "It's not my fault! I'm sorry brother. Forgive me!" As the smoke thickened, the threatening glow of the nearby flames gave way to darkness. It pressed down on him hindering any movement. All the while the voices' of his parents continued, "Why didn't you protect him?!" "You're not fit to even be called a son!"

Beginning to cry, Locke whimpered, "I'm sorry…it's not my fault… There was nothing I could do…"

It was then that he heard another voice. The voices in his head shrunk into oblivion as it got louder and spots of light began to push through the veil of black smoke. The light began to solidify as the smoke dissipated, enveloping Locke in its gentle warmth while the voice continued to gain volume…

***

"Locke! Locke! Please wake up!" Grace's voice was frantic. Shaking him, Grace began pleading again, "Locke it's only a dream! Please wake up!"

Locke's eyes shot open and he sat up in his bed, gasping for breath. Grace immediately wrapped her arms around him, holding him as close to her as she could.

After a few minutes, Grace separated herself from the Riolu and asked, "Are you ok?"

"I am now. Thanks for being here for me."

Still concerned, Grace asked, "What happened? You were crying out that you were sorry or something…"

Locke gave her a sad look before saying, "It was just a dream. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Grace asked, still not convinced.

"Yeah… What time is it?" Locke asked, wanting to forget about the nightmare.

"It's still dark outside. We have a while before morning," Grace said. She moved closer to him, feeling sorry for him.

"Ok, then. You'll need to be well rested for tomorrow, so you can go back to sleep. I'll be fine," Locke said, feigning a smile.

Grace gave him a stern look and said, "It doesn't matter how well rested I am if my guide and bodyguard can't stay awake because he was up all night with nightmares! I'm sleeping in here so move over."

Before Locke had a chance to protest, Grace slipped under the covers and turned her back to him. "Turn on your side and go to sleep. I'll be right here if you need me." Grace tried to tell herself that was the only reason she was sharing the bed with him, but couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.

Locke sighed before moving over to make room for her. "Good night, Grace."

"Good night, Locke," Grace replied, trying to not let her voice reveal how happy she was. Still exhausted from the day before, however, she quickly fell asleep.

***

Opening his eyes, Locke reflected on the dream he had had earlier that night. He hadn't had that nightmare in months and it had ended differently than the other times. Typically, the smoke, along with his parents' voices, pressed down on him harder and harder until he was able to force himself awake.

Pushing the thoughts out of his head, he began to take note of his surroundings. Something was different than when he had last fallen asleep. Finally, he realized that Grace had changed positions sometime during the night and now had her arms around Locke's waist with a blissful Aura surrounding her. Smiling, he carefully moved her arms from around him so that he could get out of the bed.

He walked into a neighboring chamber with a small tub under a pipe and a lever. The presence of running water surprised Locke. That kind of convenience was rare outside the cities. Pumping the lever, he used the water that flowed out to wash his face. The water was freezing, but helped get the grogginess out of his eyes.

It was dawn, but based on the information Grace had given him the day before regarding their location, Locke decided they could wait a couple of hours before leaving. Moving back into the bedroom, he laid down next to Grace again.

"Locke?"

"Oh so your awake. We still have a couple of hours, before we need to leave. Go ahead and get some more sleep."

All Locke heard in reply was some light breathing. She had already dozed off again. Smiling, he made himself comfortable, enjoying the feel of Grace's peaceful Aura next to him.

***

The two had been on the road now for about half the day. They were making good time and, Locke claimed they'd be able to reach their planned stop before dinner time. Grace had been worried that Locke's dream was still going to be a problem, but the emotions she felt coming from him were all focused on the road ahead; he was wary, but was filled with contentment. They never strayed to the feelings of sadness and regret that she had felt when he was asleep.

'Where did those emotions come from?' Grace thought, 'Could it have been a distant memory?' Suddenly Grace stepped in a dip in the road and went falling forward. She closed her eyes as she braced for impact, but it never came. Opening her eyes, she realized Locke had caught her.

"You seem to have trouble walking and thinking at the same time," Locke said smirking.

A deep blush spreading across her face, she countered, "Oh just shut up. Let's keep going." She began walking fast, moving ahead of Locke.

'I could nearly die of embarrassment!' she thought, 'Why wasn't I more careful?' Sighing, she looked back to see what was taking Locke so long to catch up and realized he was nowhere to be seen. Panic filling her thoughts, she began shout when something covered her mouth and pulled her into the bushes. She struggled for freedom until she looked behind her and realized it was Locke. Giving her a signal to be quiet, he set his pack down and jumped out of the bushes back onto the road.

***

Now that Grace was safe, he turned to the matter at hand. A group of Ariados stepped out of the bushes a little farther down the road. It was a good thing he'd noticed their Spinark scouts watching them a while back.

"You detected us before the ambush, not bad, but that's not going to help you any," the largest Ariados and mostly likely the leader hissed, "Our scouts said there was a Kirlia with you. Where is she?"

"You'd better leave her alone!"

"That's what I plan on doing but first tell me where she is," the leader seemed to be getting impatient.

"Like hell. You'll have to fight me first!" Locke shouted.

"That's a mighty confident attitude you have there. Let's see if it's an act or not!" Even as the head Ariados said this, the entire group began using String Shot. Jumping into the air to dodge, Locke stretched his arm out and a white sphere formed as he began the move Copycat. A String Shot fired out of the sphere trapping all of the Ariados except the leader who had managed to disappear.

Upon reaching the ground, Locke focused his aura, searching for any signs of his foe. Everything grew quiet as he waited for the Ariados to try something…. Behind him! Locke turned and used a Force Palm just in time to block the Ariados' Slash.

The Ariados faltered slightly leaving himself open. Using Quick Attack, Locke slammed into his foe, knocking him even more off balance, and began unleashing a barrage of Force Palms all over his opponent's body. The Ariados collapsed with paralysis and hissed "Go to hell" before slipping into unconsciousness.

***

Grace was mystified. Locke had just taken on eight Ariados at once and won. She walked out of the bushes towards Locke who was, one by one, knocking out each of the remaining Ariados with a solid punch to the back of the head. "Well they aren't going to bother us anymore."

Grace looked at him and nearly exploded, "Why the hell did you fight them?! We could have run away like that time with the Croagunk and Houndoom! You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

"They had several Spinark working as scouts so they were ready for an escape attempt. Besides, there were so many of them, we wouldn't have been able to get away. To be honest, that could have ended real badly if their first move hadn't of been String Shot."

"How can you be so indifferent?!"

"I had a backup plan just in case the fight didn't go well," Locke replied, trying to defend his actions.

Grace felt a spike in guilt when he said this, though, and said angrily, "You're lying!"

"We should go," Locke said, changing the subject, "Those Spinark scouts are still hanging around here somewhere and I'd also like to get into town before the restaurants close for the night." He returned to the bushes to pick up his pack and began to walk away, leaving Grace behind.

"Hey wait up!" she called.

She was still mad at him for putting himself at such risk, but Grace was even angrier at herself for not being able to help him. 'I have to become stronger somehow. Locke can't do all of the fighting. There has to be some way to-'

"Ahhhhh!" Grace yelled as she stepped in a hole in the road and fell flat on her face. She looked up to see Locke staring down at her holding back his urge to laugh. "And why didn't you catch me like last time?"

"You won't ever learn your lesson if I catch you every time."

Grace stared at him, her eyes twitching in anger. She got up and promptly walked away, choosing to ignore him rather than tear his eyes out.

"That's the wrong way, Grace."

"Ahhhhh!!!"

***

Locke was relieved to finally reach their first stop. It was a small village next to a river, where they'd be able to stock up on supplies for the long trip ahead. Walking to the Capitol was going to take another two weeks, and they would only pass through one more village before reaching it.

Due to the time lost in fighting the Ariados, all of the stores, with the exception a local bar, had closed down for the night by the time they arrived. It amazed Locke how even the smallest of towns had bars. Feeling in the mood for a cold beer and some food, he turned to Grace and asked, "You hungry enough to eat in a bar?"

"We've been walking the entire day and we didn't stop for lunch. I'll eat anywhere!"

"Then it's settled. Stay close to me, though. We don't have any idea who'll be in there and I've got more enemies than I'd like to count." He was exaggerating. He could count all of his enemies just fine…most of them anyways.

"What in Mew's name did you do?"

"It doesn't matter. Let's go."

Locke and Grace walked through the batwing doors and walked up to the bar. The bar wasn't incredibly busy which pleased Locke; less chance of running into someone shady. A Charmeleon sat in the back of the saloon playing a cheerful tune on the piano while a Grovyle stood behind the bar cleaning glasses. The ground was covered with the usual sawdust to help clean up spills, but none of this really interested Locke. He'd been to bars multiple times and this was nothing new.

Grace on the other hand, stared in amazement at her new surroundings. "Wow…"

"This is your first time in a bar, isn't it?" Locke asked her.

"Yeah…"

Locke decided it was best not to let her consume alcohol in a public setting until he knew how it would affect here. The Grovyle, noticing them at the bar, walked over to them and said, "Hey, name's Root. What can I do ya for?"

Before Grace had a chance to make a reply, Locke answered, "I'll take a beer with some ice if you have it and she'll have some water. Also, do you serve any food this time of the night? We've been traveling and are famished." Locke could feel Grace's Aura being filled with annoyance. He was going to be in trouble, once she got a chance to talk to him.

"I think we can whip something up," then, turning, he raised his voice, "Hey Mack, we got anything still warm in the back?"

A Totodile popped his head out of the kitchen window and said, "What asshole is so outa' his goddamn mind that he'd order this pile o' shit so late-" He stopped mid sentence when he saw Grace sitting at the bar, a little surprised by the sudden fowl language. "Why I'm sorry little lady, you must be starvin'. Let me cook y'all somethan to eat."

Popping his head back through the window, the Totodile could be heard scolding himself for cussing in front of a female. The Grovyle, Root, shook his head and turned back to Locke and Grace before saying, "Sorry 'bout Mack. He ain't that graceful when it comes to words." After pouring Locke a glass of beer with ice and Grace some water he went back to washing dishes at the far end of the bar.

Grace stared at her water and then directly at Locke who was taking a small swig of his beer. "And why exactly don't I get a beer?" she asked in a sweet, yet menacing tone.

Locke choked a little upon hearing this. He hadn't expected her to be this mad about it. Collecting himself a bit, he turned to her and said, "I didn't want to give you alcohol for the first time in public. Everyone has different tolerances and reacts differently. The first time I drank, I destroyed half the bar."

"You don't think I can handle a little drink?"

Locke didn't like the tone in her voice, but before she could say anything else, Root walked over holding two bowls of soup and a plate of corn bread. Grace looked at Locke and said, "Your lucky I'm too hungry to argue right now," before picking up her spoon and beginning to eat.

The soup was thick and spicy tasting of tomato berries which were abundant in this area. Locke grabbed a piece of cornbread and dug in. He was just as hungry as Grace was.

***

It's not that Grace particularly wanted alcohol; it was that Locke hadn't even asked her before ordering. She decided he was probably right, however, about it being her first time, but she wasn't going to admit that to him. Focusing on the soup and cornbread in front of her, she was amazed at how good it tasted. She wasn't a very good cook, so she rarely got to eat good food. It was absolutely delicious.

It was then that she noticed a Dratini eyeing Locke from across the bar. Locke hadn't noticed her yet or just didn't care, but it annoyed Grace to no end. She and Locke weren't actually "together," but she didn't really want to have to share him; not after being alone for so long. Focusing her sensors on the Dratini to learn of her intentions, she almost growled when she felt the emotions being emitted from her. It was a combination of infatuation and lust.

Grace struggled to contain herself. 'The Dratini hasn't done anything yet, so there isn't any reason to be angry; she's just looking at Locke. There isn't anything wrong with that. He's a very attractive pokemon. That's all it is.'

Calming down, she turned back to her food and tried to block the emotions out of her head, but they seemed to be getting stronger. Almost as if they were getting closer…

Grace turned her head to see the Dratini was now sitting right next to Locke and was openly flirting with him. It was disgusting to watch. Her anger at this point soared and she began to stand up to give the deceitful, little snake a piece of her mind, but Locke turned and shot her a glance that seemed to say "don't do anything rash" so she settled back into her seat and focused in on the conversation.

"So, as I was saying, these nights have been getting awfully cold. I could sure use a traveling partner…and I bet you could use one too."

Grace nearly jumped up and attacked her right there, but instead decided to listen to how Locke responded.

"Isn't it a little strange to ask someone to travel with you before you tell them your name?"

'What? Her name? Why haven't you torn her to pieces yet?! Reject her already!'

"Oh, where are my manners. My name's Serena. What's your name?"

'Please don't tell her… Please don't tell her…'

"My name's Locke."

'Damn it!'

"Oh that's such a nice name! Soooo…how about I become your key?" Serena asked seductively.

Grace nearly fell off her chair when Serena said this. It was the most idiotic thing she'd ever heard.

"Sorry, but I don't think that's going to happen," Locke replied coolly.

'Finally, we're getting somewhere!' Grace thought.

"Well you could still use a traveling partner," Serena didn't seem discouraged at all.

'Why doesn't this girl just give up already? He's not interested!' Grace was screaming to herself in her head.

"I've already got a traveling partner."

'You're darn right he's got a partner!' Grace thought in triumph.

"Can I please tag along with you then? It's too dangerous for me to go to the Capitol alone."

Serena was putting on the most pitiful face she could and Grace nearly gagged when she saw it. It didn't match her emotions at all, but still looked awfully convincing. 'Good thing Locke can sense emotions with his Aura or he'd probably say-'

"Well…Alright, you can come, but only if Grace says yes."

Grace's face became even whiter than it usually was and her ocean blue eyes widened in horror. 'What was he doing? Couldn't he tell she was lying to him?' Turning around she saw both Locke and Serena staring at her expectantly.

"Of course she can't-Errrrrm…I mean…I'd really prefer we traveled alone, Locke," Grace looked directly into Locke's eyes to show him what she meant and it seemed to have the desired effect.

Turning to Serena, he said "I'm sorry, but I'm acting as Grace's escort and the decision's up to her. You'll have to find someone else to travel with."

"Oh well, that's a pity. We could still have a hell of time if you change your mind, so I'll be at the hotel _all night_." Grace stuck her tongue out at Serene as she slithered out, barely moving the batwing doors.

They continued to eat and talk for about another hour until Locke turned to her saying, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go find the hotel so we can check in," before putting down some money for the food and passing through the swinging doors.

At this point Grace was the last one in the bar, so she hurried to finish her food. She heard Root begin to chuckle behind the bar so she turned with an angry look on her face to ask, "And what exactly is so funny?"

"You are little lady; the way you watched that Dratini's every move the entire time she was talking. I guess you're psychic, so you could'a told what she was thinking, but it was real funny to watch your reactions to what she said. And when your Riolu buddy said it'd be alright if she came with, your expression was priceless!" turning to the kitchen, "Hey Mack, did ya see her face?"

The Totodile stuck his head out of the kitchen window saying, "You bet! It was the funniest durn thing I've ever seen! What 'bout you Frank?"

The Charmeleon on the piano grinned widely as he continued playing.

Grace turned red with embarrassment. "What did you expect me to do? She was lying through her teeth! She didn't need an escort at all!"

Mack scratched his head in thought before asking, "Now how d'ya know that? You're a grass type and grasses don't read minds. She could'a just wanted to travel wit ya."

"She's a psychic type, Mack," Root corrected his friend.

"Well I'll be darned! I could'a sworn she was a grass type. Look, she's green and everythang!" Frank in the corner broke out laughing at his friend's mistake, struggling to keep the music going.

Grace walked out of the bar and stepped out into the cold night air. She'd had enough of being embarrassed for one day. She began moving towards what she thought was the hotel, her head bent down low in exhaustion as well as embarrassment. Sighing, she looked up to see Locke walking toward her.

"The hotel only had one room left, so we'll have to share a bed. Is that alright with you?"

"That sounds wonderful. I'm exhausted, so let's get to bed already."

***

Locke and Grace were lying in bed facing away from each other and Locke was just about to fall asleep when he heard Grace say, "Thanks for taking me again. It means a lot to me."

"It's not a problem. I've enjoyed having company for once."

"But if I ever see that Dratini again, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

Grinning, Locke replied, "I suppose she was lying then?"

"Couldn't you tell?" Grace yawned sleepily.

"No, I can only sense the subtle emotions of those closest to me."

"Alright, I'll accept that…You'd better get some alcohol, for the trip, though…I want…to see what…all the…fuss..is…zzzzzz…" Grace fell asleep mid-sentence.

"Good night, Grace. Sweet dreams…"

* * *

A/N- Little bit more humor in this chapter along with a small look into Locke's past, so overall it was a productive chapter. I was listening to saloon piano music while i wrote, so you can see how that got in there. Thanks goes to xxxxxSilverDrumxxxxx for giving me the name Serena. Had no idea what I was going to name her...

Now if I give you a hint about the next chapter will you review? Here goes... It'll be in the middle of the trip and we'll see Cain and Mark again. There, ya happy. Next chapter on the way soon.


	5. Mentors and Enemies

A/N Well it took me long enough, but here it is...chapter 4...disclaimer in prologue...okay...

* * *

Mentors and Enemies

"Grace…It's time to wake up Grace."

"Uhhh," Grace groaned in reply, "Go get ready, I'll be up in a sec." Grace snuggled more into her bed, loving the feel of it on her skin. 'That's weird…it feels lumpier and more like fur than I remember…'

"I can't really get up. You're sort of lying on top of me."

Grace's eyes shot open when she heard this. She must have shifted positions when she was asleep. Rolling over as fast as she could, she stood up and turned away to hide her embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry, I-I didn't-I mean-Ah, hell…" Grace looked down at the ground unable to face Locke.

"I'm getting hungry. You want to head to that restaurant we passed on the way in last night?" Locke asked as he got ready.

"Mmhmm," Grace responded, not really paying attention. 'He didn't seem angry at me,' she thought, 'maybe we do have a chance.'

"Okay, I'll just eat without you," said Locke, pretending to walk out the door.

Grace snapped to attention. This was going to be her last chance for over week to eat something good. "Hold on a second! I still have to clean myself up!" she shouted back.

***

Locke walked into the restaurant and immediately frowned. The number of pokemon here was worse than he had feared. Almost all of the tables were full and one of his many enemies could be hiding anywhere.

It's not that Locke made enemies on purpose, but that any pokemon who thought he was tough also thought a Riolu would be easy to pick on. Just about every time that happened, though, Locke ended up beating that pokemon to a bloody pulp.

Grace walked in behind him and said, "It sure is packed. Let's find a table before they're all gone."

She walked off toward an empty table in the back, rushing to beat another couple that had entered behind them. 'Did I just think of us as a couple?' Locke shook his head and began to walk after her, keeping his head low so as not to be seen.

He sat down across from her and once again surveyed the area. He was right to be worried. A Gabite with a scar across his left eye was watching him from the other side of the room, but turned away when Locke noticed him. 'Oh shit,' he thought.

"Locke, what's wrong? You seem worried."

"The Gabite across the room is a bounty hunter," Locke said in a whisper, still watching the Gabite.

"Well then shouldn't we do something?"

"He won't try anything while we're in public," then, turning to a Jigglypuff waiter, he said "Excuse me, we're ready to order."

The Jigglypuff smiled before saying in a melodic voice, "Okay, honey, what'll you have?"

***

The breakfast was going on without any problems, but Grace could feel the tension between Locke and the Gabite rise as the meal went on. Locke had been right, though, the Gabite hadn't made a move. 'I wonder what the history is between them…"

As if he'd read her thoughts, Locke spoke up and said, "That Gabite's name is John. He's well known out west. I traveled with him for a while, but after we went our separate ways I got a bounty on my head and he unknowingly took the job. We fight every time we meet. It sucks…I really enjoyed his company."

Grace was confused to say the least. She'd known Locke only a few days and she couldn't even imagine betraying him. "How long did you travel together?"

"About a year…"

Grace's eyes widened, "You traveled together for an entire year and he's still won't quit the job?"

"Yeah…"

It didn't make any sense to Grace. They had traveled together for so long, and ended up as enemies. 'Locke doesn't seem mad about it either,' she thought, 'Just sad…'

Looking up again, she said, "Shouldn't we leave and get away while we can?"

Locke continued to speak calmly, "There's no point. I'll have to fight him."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Grace exclaimed in a hushed, yet forceful tone, "How do know you'll be able to beat him this time?!"

"I've never beaten John before."

Grace looked at him in shock, unable to give a response.

"But don't worry, Grace," Locke said with a sad smile on his face, "He's never beaten me either…"

***

'I had to find him again…' John looked at his drink and frowned, 'I don't know if I can do it this anymore…'

The first time he and Locke had fought, Locke had left him the scar that went across his left eye. Every time they had fought since, both of them had ended up critically injured and unable to go on, and, every time, Locke had managed to heal first and get away. John regretted what he was doing, but because of his contract he couldn't quit until he beat Locke, and every time they had fought it had been a tie. If he failed, John would lose all credibility as a bounty hunter. Not to mention what his employer would do to him…

This was even worse than the times before. It looked like Locke had found a new traveling companion and that would complicate things. John didn't want to hurt anyone he didn't have to, even emotionally. Locke would keep her out of the fight, of course, but that didn't guarantee anything.

'Damn it. I've got enough money to retire. If I don't win this time, I'm ripping that contract to shreds and I'll take whatever the boss has to throw me. I hope you're stronger than me this time, Locke.'

John stood up and walked out. Locke would follow shortly, and they'd be able to get this over with. Walking alongside the river that flowed through the village, John found a shady spot under a tree and closed his eyes.

A few minutes later, he heard a familiar voice say, "Napping on the job again, I see."

John opened his eyes to see Locke standing a few feet away from him. He stood up and stretched while saying, "I thought I'd catch a bit of a nap before you came, but you came sooner than expected. Where's that Kirlia you had with you. I don't want her getting in the way."

"I told her to stay in the restaurant, but I'm pretty sure she won't follow my instructions."

"I'll keep my eye out for her then."

"This is going to be the last time, John. I can't afford to have you after me anymore."

"In love, Locke?" John chuckled as he saw him blush a little.

"I made her a promise and I plan to keep it."

"Don't make too many promises, Locke, they tend to cause problems…Well then…Let's get started, shall we?"

At this, John ran toward Locke with blinding speed, arming himself with a Metal Claw. Locke dodged each of his attacks, ducking and weaving as white spheres covered his paws. Using Copycat, Locke began to counter with a Metal Claw of his own.

John was forced to go on the defensive as he attempted to block the metal talons that were slashing at his body, but he was unable to block every attack. The claws grazed his skin several times, drawing a small amount of blood.

Jumping back he howled as a Dragon Pulse erupted from his mouth. Not checking to see if his attack was successful, he spun quickly and a sandstorm began to cover the area. Rushing toward where he had last seen Locke, John was startled when he realized Locke had disappeared, having used the sandstorm as cover. He'd made a mistake. The sandstorm subsided, but Locke was still nowhere to be found. 'He didn't run away. He's hiding somewhere, waiting for the right moment to strike,' John thought, 'just like I taught him to.'

In the next moment, Locke shot out of the river using Agility. Before John could react, Locke moved into a Quick Attack and slammed into him. John took advantage of the situation, however and grabbed Locke before he could move away. Using all of his strength, he threw him into a nearby tree.

'He's going to be injured. Now's my chance,' John thought. Arming himself with another Metal Claw, he rushed toward Locke, hoping to end the battle quickly. Locke had already recovered, though, and managed to get underneath him. He launched himself upward, slamming his paw under John's chin with a powerful Sky Uppercut. 'So he's finally beaten me…' was all John had time to think before he was slammed into the ground by a Force Palm.

***

'It's finally over…' Locke thought to himself as he panted from exhaustion. He usually felt happy after winning a battle, but this was different. John had taken him in after he'd lost his home, his family. He'd taught Locke to defend himself, mentoring him on the different aspects of battle. Overcome with guilt, Locke fell to his knees and tears silently dripped from his eyes.

Grace walked out of the bushes where she had been hiding and wrapped her arms around Locke. Hugging her back, he stood up and said, "I told you to stay in the restaurant."

"I wanted to be close by in case you were seriously hurt."

"We need to get him into town to be treated. His injuries are severe, and it if we don't hurry, he could die…" Locke had to bite to keep himself from crying.

"Okay, I'll go into town and get some help," with that she released Locke and ran towards the town.

Locke looked down again at his motionless friend. "I'm sorry, John…" He sat there until Grace returned with Root, Frank, and Mack from the bar.

Root, Mack and Grace gently picked up John and carried him away, but Frank, the Charmeleon, stayed behind. He walked up to Locke and seemed to be sizing him up. Locke noticed one difference from when he'd seen him playing the piano at the bar. He had a star pinned on his chest.

Locke stood there unsure of Frank's intentions, but the silence was broken when Frank said, "It's hard to believe someone as small as you could do that much damage, but I guess size isn't everything."

Locke just glared at him. He wasn't in the mood for small talk.

"So which of you started the fight and why?"

"He's a bounty hunter and I managed to piss off a real dangerous pokemon," Locke never broke eye contact with the Charmeleon.

Frank watched him a little longer before replying, "Alright, I believe you. Are you going to press charges?"

"No…So how does a sheriff end up moonlighting in a bar?" Locke asked, hoping he wouldn't have to explain his reasons to Frank.

"We don't get much trouble here, so I have to do something with my time."

"Oh…" Locke looked up and saw that Grace was walking toward them, but was still a ways off. Turning back to Frank, he said, "We were planning on leaving today, so if we're all done here we need to pick up some supplies before we head out.

"Alright, but is there anything I should tell that Gabite when he wakes up?"

"Just tell him…I'm sorry…"

"I understand. Be careful on your trip, the law doesn't have much authority outside the cities right now," the Charmeleon turned around and began to walk away, calling over his shoulder, "Take care of your friend, too. She's a real catch."

Locke blushed at this comment, then thought, 'What the hell am I so embarrassed over?' Shaking his head, he began to walk toward Grace.

***

Grace groaned. Her legs were killing her. They'd been walking the entire day and Locke hadn't let them stop even once; something about reaching a certain spot before nightfall. She didn't know where they were headed, but it had better be good. "How much longer Locke? My legs feel like they're going to fall off."

"We still have another few miles," squatting down, he continued, "Here; get on my back and I'll carry you."

Without any hesitation, Grace jumped onto his back. "I thought you'd never ask." She grinned as Locke continued onward. She felt safe when she was this close to him. He had protected her twice thus far; once from those two thieves that had taken a cheap shot at them from the bushes and once from that band of Ariados bandits. Recalling how useless she had been in both situations, she frowned.

"Locke…Can you teach me how to fight?" she asked timidly.

"What brought this up?" he replied, speaking over his shoulder.

"I wasn't able to help you any of the times we were attacked."

He paused for second before replying, "Okay."

"Really? That fast? I thought I was going to have to convince you a little more."

"If I'm going to keep my promise than I better train you. Being around me is dangerous. The place we're stopping at will be a good spot, so we'll stay there for a couple of days."

"Do we have enough time for that?"

"We do. The election isn't for about a month, so we have plenty of time. We could train for about a week and still make it with time t-" Locke stopped midsentence and closed his eyes.

Grace, seeing that he was focusing his Aura, heightened her own senses. Her horns scanned the area for any sort of emotion. 'Wait a second…Where have I felt that combination of infatuation and lust before?" she thought. She growled as she placed the emotions with their owner.

"So you recognize her too?" Locke asked.

"Yeah, it's that disgusting snake, Serena. She already knows you're here, too. She must have followed us out of town." Focusing her sensors on the Dratini a little more, Grace frowned in disgust. "What a pervert. All she can think about is mating."

"This coming from the girl who rolled on top of me in her sleep and insists upon riding on my back?"

Giving him an annoyed look, she said, "Oh shut up and walk faster. You want to get away from her as much as I do."

"Got that right," Locke said as he picked up speed, "Once we're done training, though, no more riding on my back."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't seem to catch that," Grace said, feigning innocence.

"Never mind. We can take cover in that spot I was telling you about. If we keep up the current pace, we'll be there in about thirty minutes."

As they continued down the road, Grace saw some small mountains come into view off to their right. They were the only mountains in the area and circled around to create a large ring. Locke turned toward the mountains and increased his speed.

By the time they reached it, Locke was panting and had slowed down considerably. Walking toward a fallen log, he set Grace down and bent over, exhausted. Grace was overcome with guilt, as she realized how tired he actually was. He'd started the day off with a difficult battle, had walked most of the rest of it, and had carried her for the last two miles on his back. "Locke? Are you alright?"

"Just a little tired. If it means not seeing Serena again, it'll be worth it, so let's go," still breathing hard, he collected himself and led Grace to a hole in the rock formation. "The tunnel is dark so hold onto my paw."

Her heart skipping a beat, Grace complied and Locke led her into the tunnel. It was like a maze; twisting, turning, and branching of into dozens of other passages. Grace could hardly see much less know where she was going. Moving closer to him, she grasped his paw tighter for fear of losing him.

Finally, some light appeared. Her heart jumped as she realized they were almost there. The light grew brighter and they suddenly stepped into the fresh air. What Grace saw amazed her. A waterfall on the far end of the enclosure cascaded from the rocks, seemingly out of nowhere and fed into large river that circled around half of the valley before disappearing into the ground. A great number of trees covered most of the valley floor, with meadows dotting the landscape.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"Large springs feed the waterfall on the far end of the valley. With the exception of the caves behind us, this place is completely isolated. Actually, this valley was the original meeting place of our nation's founders as well as the place where General Striker cornered the traitor Benedict."

'So this is where my father defeated Benedict,' Grace thought, 'I wonder why he never took me here…"

"Grace, are you okay?"

"Huh, what?"

"You spaced out there for a second," Locke said.

"Oh I was just thinking about something…"

"Well, finish up before you start climbing down. You might have trouble doing both and I don't want to catch you this time," Locke grinned and Grace could tell he was suppressing the urge to laugh.

"It happens twice and I'm labeled for life!" she turned her back on him in an effort to make a point, "Well maybe you just don't have the ability to think! Locke?" She turned around to see he had already started walking down the narrow path. "Hey! Wait for me!"

***

Locke had been training Grace for two days now, and was surprised by her progress. Knowing that most Kirlia had few offensive capabilities, he had focused on teaching her to use evasive techniques until she could find an opening to exploit. Right now, however, she was working on her Magical Leaf.

"You need to focus on the bulk of the leaves right now. You can worry about accuracy later, but for now work on getting the power built up."

Grace raised her arms above her and gathered a mass of leaves from the ground around her. Thrusting her arms forward, the leaves flew through the air, ripping the bark off her target tree in the process. "Like that?"

"That's good. Now try to focus the leaves into a tighter area…"

***

Serena watched dreamily from her hiding place in the bushes. She had stalked the duo since they had left town, but in a moment of weakness had alerted them to her presence back on the road. Right now they were so busy training that they hadn't noticed her at all. 'All I have to do is get rid of that stupid Kirlia. Then nothing will keep Locke from being with me.'

Serena smiled maliciously at the thought of what she would do to Grace, 'Maybe I could drown her and make it look like an accident…or I could just push her off the side of cliff…or trap her in a hole and then bury her alive!' Serena fought to hide her giddiness from the Kirlia who was only a hundred feet from her.

'It doesn't help any that both of them can sense other pokemon…I'll have to kill her when she's alone…I know!' Slithering off, she hissed in delight as she worked out the details of her attack.

***

Grace was exhausted, but she refused to let Locke down. Gathering the leaves above her, she fired them forward in a tight stream and cried out in triumph as the leaves embedded themselves deeply into the trunk of her target. Panting as exhaustion reclaimed her body, she looked over at Locke whose eyes were wide with astonishment. Breathing heavily, she asked, "And how…was that?"

Collecting himself, Locke said, "That was perfect. Let's go ahead and call it day. I think the tree would appreciate a break."

Chuckling at his minor joke, Grace said, "Okay then. I'm going to go take a bath," then switching to a seductive tone, "Don't you want to join me?"

Locke's cheeks immediately turned pink through his fur as he exclaimed, "I hardly think that's appropriate!"

Grace began to pout playfully as she said, "But Locke…the river is so cold. I could sure use someone to help keep me warm…" She began to laugh as Locke just stared at her, with a look of horror on his face. "Just relax. I was only kidding."

"I'm going back to camp now. Call me if you need me, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Grace turned and began to walk toward the river, "I'll be back in a little while."

Walking down the tree covered path, Grace could feel all of the playful mischief in her disappear as the feeling was replaced by sore muscles and achy limbs. Her father would never let her train because he didn't want her fighting, so she had never gotten to push herself this hard. It hurt, but felt satisfying at the same time.

Reaching the river, Grace stepped into the water and slowly lowered herself into it. She had been wrong. It was warm and very soothing. Gently treading water, Grace looked up into the sky. The sun was just moving behind the small mountain that isolated the valley, marking the end of the day. She sighed in contentment. 'If it wasn't for Locke, I'd still be alone at home right now. I'll have to thank him when I get back to camp.'

Floating on her back, Grace let herself drift for a bit, closing her eyes. Tensing, she righted herself and looked around. She sensed that something was off. An emotion with sinister intent set off alarms in her head, but she couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Something was definitely wrong.

Now afraid, Grace started swimming back to the shore, but something wrapped around her leg and began to drag her under water. Struggling fiercely, she managed to temporarily free herself and reach the surface for air, but was again dragged under. Fighting the panic that was attempting to set in, Grace tried to think of a way to escape. Hit with sudden realization, she focused on the shore and felt her body begin to fade as she teleported.

Feeling the cold air suddenly around her, she gasped for breath, coughing a bit from the water that had found its way into her lungs. Looking up, she saw a serpentine figure leap from the water, emitting emotions of hatred and rage. 'Serena!?' was all Grace had time to think before the Dratini attacked again.

"Locke's going to be mine!" Serena shrieked as she lunged for Grace wrapping around her body. She sunk her teeth into Grace's side which caused her to scream in pain. "Awww, does that hurt? Well how about this?" Serena bit into Grace's left arm and Grace responded with another scream. She was bleeding profusely, but the pain dulled as her adrenaline kicked in.

"You're insane!" cried Grace before again teleporting to safety. Using a Double Team, she surrounded Serena with images of herself just as Locke had taught her. 'If I can find an opening, I can end this in one shot.' She teleported sporadically, keeping in unison with her copies in order to hide her position.

Serena countered with a Twister and destroyed the copies, but it gave Grace the chance she needed to attack. She lifted her arms up and leaves swirled above her into a condensed sphere. Releasing the Magical Leaf, Grace focused all of her power into the stream, keeping the leaves as close together as she could. Serena's eyes widened as the attack smashed into her. She flew backward into a tree and was immediately knocked unconscious.

"I won…" Grace fell to her knees as she said this. Darkness began to close in around her eyes as she fell forward. Pain shot through her left side and she cried out in agony. "Locke…" was all she could whisper before she passed out.

***

Grace awoke the next morning. She was in her sleeping bag. She tried to sit up, but all of her limbs screamed in protest to stay down and she had difficulty breathing. Fighting the pain, she attempted to move, but seemed to be pinned down. 'I'm not that badly injured, am I?'

"Locke?" Even talking had hurt. Focusing the horns on her head, she scanned the area, looking for any sign of Locke. Grace groaned as she realized he was what was pinning her down. He had fallen asleep by her side and had ended up on top of her. "Locke?"

"Huh, what?" Locke asked, yawning deeply, "Oh Grace, you're awake. Don't worry. You're…safe…now…zzzz…" He began to dose off again.

"Locke I can't breathe," Grace said, annoyed she was going to have to make him get off.

"You were hurt…pretty bad…it's not surprising…you're having trouble breathing…zzzz…"

'What irony,' she thought, 'I'm forced to choose between a dream come true and not suffocating.' Sighing, she summoned what little strength she had and exclaimed "Damn it, Locke! GET OFF!"

Locke sprung to his feet and looked down at Grace, emitting waves of guilt. "I am so sorry. I must of fallen asleep and ended up on top of you. It will never happen again, I pro-"

"Don't promise me that!" Grace cut him off, "Any other day I would have thoroughly enjoyed that. I just couldn't breathe!" she lowered her voice back to normal, "Now tell me what happened."

Locke, a little red from the previous situation said, "I heard you yell, but by the time I got there you had already passed out. I bandaged your wounds and tied up Serena. You were both seriously injured. I'm guessing you fought each other, so who ended up winning?"

Grace looked at him in disbelief, "I DID! Do you really think I'd be alive right now if I lost consciousness before beating her?"

"You're the one who reads minds. I have no idea what's going on in Serena's head."

"Just get me some water and make sure that snake is still tied up. We'll have to take her back to…what was the name of the town we just came from?"

"Orsa Village," he said.

"Weird name."

"It means 'beginning' in the ancient language from the early days of the Empire."

Grace became annoyed, "We're getting off track. We'll need to turn her into Frank at Orsa Village. I want her put in jail where she can't get near you."

"Me? She was after you."

"Only because she wanted YOU all to herself."

"Why would she want me?"

Grace replied, "Because you're extremely attrac…" Realizing what she was about to say, her face turned a bright pink color. "Uhhh…I mean…who knows! She's crazy! Now could you please get me something to drink? I can't move without hurting."

"Oh right! I'll be right back," Locke yelled as he ran off.

Grace groaned in pain. Her limbs were still aching. 'That snake had better stay tied up,' Grace thought, 'or she could end up being a real problem…'

* * *

A/N- Bunch of surprises in this chapter. Frank's a sheriff, John was Locke's mentor, Grace can actually fight, Serena's insane, you get the picture. OK CONTEST TIME!!! One of the names used in my story so far (not just this chapter) is my real name. The first to PM me what my name is gets to decide the next thing Locke gets to fight. Muwahahaha!!! Any pokemon is fine (except Legendaries) so knock yourself out. REVIEW


	6. Surprise!

A/N- Well, sorry it took so dang long. I could tell you a lie like "I had writer's block" or "School's been occupying my time", but I'm gonna take the high road and tell you the truth. I was attacked by mobsters and was unable to get my hands on a computer to update. I absolutely guarantee that I may or may not be telling the truth.

Dumb jokes aside. Here's the next chapter. Only one fight scene if you can even call it a fight scene, but this chapter's still important to the plot so PAY ATTENTION. R&R, RedHerring1290

* * *

Surprise!

"Oh Locke…I know I've been bad, but if you free me I promise to be good," Serena hissed to her captor.

Locke sighed. She had been trying to convince him to free her ever since she had come to. "I'm not going to free you Serena. We're turning you into the sheriff at Orsa Village." Grace was still recovering from her injuries. It was going to be a little longer before she could travel and even then it would still take a while to make it back to the village. Lock didn't know if he could stand to be around Serena that long. "I'm just here to give you some dinner."

"Don't tell me you believe what that nasty Kirlia is saying about me! _She_ attacked _me_!"

"Just shut the hell up!" Locke yelled in frustration, "Why won't you give it a rest already!" Locke placed the berries he had gathered in front of Serena and checked to make sure she was still securely tied up. Finding a way to contain her had been hard. Serpents don't exactly have arms and legs to wrap ropes around. A rope was securely fastened around her neck and tied to a nearby rock. Locke didn't think the leash would hold her for long, but that wasn't what was keeping her from running away.

"Please Locke! Don't shut me in here again! It's dark and I don't like the dark!"

Locke ignored her and walked out of the cave he was in. He heard a couple more pleas for mercy as he rolled a boulder back in front of the entrance, but didn't pay much attention to them. 'I had better get back to Grace,' he thought, 'she's still a little weak.'

Walking through the forest, something seemed off to Locke. Like he was being watched… Stopping, he focused his Aura and searched his surroundings. There was definitely a presence nearby, but he couldn't quite place its exact location. It seemed close, yet faint… Opening his eyes, he yelled in surprise and fell backward. A Gastly was floating in front of him, grinning widely.

"Damn it. Why do ghosts always have to sneak up on other pokemon like that?"

"Because it so much fun to see your responses! Thanks for the entertainment. I'll be on my way now. I'm currently on business."

"Wait a second. Were you just in Orsa village?"

The Gastly gave Locke a bored look before replying, "Yes. What of it?"

"A Gabite… a friend of mine was hurt and we left him in that town. Do you know what his condition is?"

"Is he about yea high," the Gastly replied floating upwards just slightly, "with a distinguishing scar?"

"You've seen him!"

"Nope, I have no idea who you're talking about."

Locke fell back and groaned. "Then how did you know he had a scar?"

"Scars are pretty common among Gabites," said the Gastly, "I just took a shot in the dark!"

The Gastly broke out into creepy laughter and slowly faded away. Locke groaned again in annoyance. 'I really don't like ghosts…'

***

Grace opened her eyes and stared into the dense foliage above her. Her wounds were feeling better so she chanced trying to sit up. Her sides and her arm were sore, but the shooting pains that had been there before were gone and the bites were healing faster than expected. 'Maybe I can get Locke to give me a massage…' She thought, but then dismissed the idea as being a too forward.

Locke walked through the bushes and promptly sat down next to Grace's sleeping bag. "Well, Serena's secure…for now anyways. It'll be tough getting her back to Orsa Village…Do you think you'll be ready by tomorrow?"

"Well if you carry me…" Grace mentally slapped herself as she said this. 'So much for being less forward.'

"No, I'll have to keep an eye on Serena…"

"Don't worry; I'll be able to walk tomorrow. We'll just have to keep it slow," Grace said.

"Alright, we'll see how you feel tomorrow morning then. If we're lucky, we can stay in the hotel tomorrow. In the meantime, what do you want tonight for dinner?"

Grace had slipped into a fantasy and replied in a hushed tone, "Of course we'll only need one bed…"

"What was that Grace? I couldn't quite hear you."

Grace snapped to attention and tried to recover, "Uhhhh, I said… 'I want some, uhhh, Leppa berries…"

"Leppa berries it is then," Locke replied as he got up and walked back into the forest.

Grace sighed in relief and lay back down. Closing her eyes, she wondered if she could convince him it had been cold and it would be a good idea they shared a sleeping bag tonight. 'No… It's been warm out. He'll never go for it. Maybe some other night…'

About an hour later, she opened her deep blue again, only to see two, large white ones starring back at her, surrounded by what seemed to be a purple mist.

"Your eyes are an unusual color for your species."

"Gahh!" she screamed, being startled. How could this pokemon have gotten past Locke? "Who the hell are you!" she replied timidly.

"Jack the Gastly, at your service my darling, but you don't want my services… do you?" Jack gave her a mischievous grin before continuing, "No, you have your eye on the _services_ of someone else." His grin widened into a spooky smile.

A blush quickly spread across Grace's face. "That is none of your business, now leave me alone!"

Jack chuckled and continued to prod, "What exactly were you thinking about that would make you blush so much, hmmm?"

Grace's fright grew into a fury and her eyes began to glow. "So help me, I'll make you wish you had never died in the first place. Now leave me be!"

"Okay, okay…geash…" he muttered, "And I'm not dead. Why is it that every time I meet someone new, they assume I'm dead."

"I don't want your life story! NOW LEAVE!"

"Okay, fine, I'm going. Can I at least get a name?"

"It's Grace. Satisfied?"

"Oh you have no idea…" replied Jack as the gases that made up his body faded away. His eyes blinked out of existence and his mouth was all that was left. Just before disappearing, it let out a creepy chuckle, "you have no idea…"

Grace readjusted her sleeping bag and settled into it. "What a creep," she muttered.

Jack flashed back into existence and said, "I heard that."

"Go away already!" Grace covered her ears and shut her eyes as tight as she could. Remembering that Locke couldn't be that far off, she increased the intensity of her emotions in an attempt to contact him, just in case the Gastly wouldn't leave her alone.

"Get away from her right now!" Grace heard Locke yell. 'Wow…that was fast.' Looking up, she saw the Gastly facing the angry Riolu.

"Just relax; I wasn't doing anything to harm her. I was just joking around. Besides, you can't learn any moves that will hurt me, so what would you do if I was?"

Grace noticed Locke's emotion become labored before he continued.

"This…"

Jack let out an amused laugh as Lock jumped toward him, but stopped when he saw flames surround the Riolu's leg. Grace couldn't believe her eyes. The kick connected and sent the Gastly flying into the distance. "How did you learn a move like Blaze Kick?"

"Just a little present from my dad is all…" Locke grunted and fell to his knee as he said this. Grace shrieked and started to get up, but Locke held up a hand, motioning for her to stay down. "I'm fine, okay."

"No you're not! Now at least come over here so I can take a look." Reluctantly, Locke made his way over to her sleeping bag, grunting in pain as he did so. Grace was horrified at what she saw. The leg was burned and needed medical attention. "What happened? He never used any attack that I saw."

"Blaze Kick isn't exactly good for my health."

"Then why did you use it?" Grace's eyes began to fill with tears as she already knew the answer. Quickly replacing the tears with anger, she spoke again before he could reply, "Don't ever use that move for me again! Why would you let yourself get so badly injured?" Her voice was stern and demanding, "Now lay down while I go look for some Rawst berries." Grace stood up and started to walk off, ignoring the aches from her last battle.

"Grace…"

"What is it?"

"Thank you…"

***

Jack moaned in pain as he tried to collect himself. The Blaze Kick had shot him clear across the valley and smashed him into a tree. While a typical kick would have phased right through him, the addition of the fire had solidified his body at impact. 'Now I remember why I don't like to battle. Why does fire affect me like that anyway?' He grunted again as he collected the last of his gasses. 'I guess that's what I get for antagonizing that Kirlia…although I expected some sort of psychic attack from her, not a smash in the face from that Riolu."

Regaining his ability to levitate, he began to float shakily toward the exit of the valley. 'At least I know Grace is safe with him.' Grunting again in pain, he fell to the forest floor. 'Next time I'll have to be more careful if I want to test that Riolu…no wonder he defeated that Gabite…'

***

"Damn it, Serena! You can't have Locke so just shut up already!" Grace shouted.

"I don't care what you think! Locke loves me and I'm going to show you how much!" Serena countered.

Locke chuckled to himself as he heard the exchange. They'd been going at it all morning and he had to admit, he almost liked the attention…almost…

They were about halfway back to Orsa Village and Serena had been desperately trying to convince him not to turn her in. She had tried everything she possibly could; begging, threatening, and even seduction, but she hadn't had any luck.

"Alright, both of you quiet down," Locke said in a calm voice, "Giving me a headache won't help either of your cases." Locke felt Grace's Aura soar with rage and he realized he had made a mistake.

"Are you_ actually_ implying that she even has a chance with you?" Grace asked in a very threatening tone.

"Uh…" Locke stammered, "We should stop here and rest. I'll go find us some food. Don't go overboard and kill Serena." At this he sprinted off the path, shuddering when he heard Grace yell his name as he ran off. 'What did I say?'

Slowing his pace some, Locke looked around for anything edible that they could eat. Having to take care of Serena had drained what little supplies they had. 'That sheriff had better reimburse me…' Walking up to an Oran tree, he smiled. The berries were ripe and real big. Jumping into the tree he picked a juicy looking one and sat in the branches. 'I'd better let Grace cool off some…'

The landscape around him was as invigorating as ever. The mountains off in the distance that formed the valley were shrouded in a silver mist that hid their peaks. Other than those particular mountains, though, the land around him consisted of just a flat, thin forest. 'I wonder how fertile the land is here…' Locke shook his head, pushing the thought out of his mind. He would never be able to settle down here. Too many things had happened. 'Maybe after the election I could head out West…'

Locke's thoughts were interrupted when he began to feel a strange, familiar Aura. 'He wouldn't come back, would he?' Just as Locke thought this, a tongue appeared from thin air and slathered itself across his entire body. Locke yelled as he lost his balance and fell out of the tree, landing on his face.

Picking himself up, he became enraged when he saw a Gastly floating above him. "That's strange. Your eyes are green. Aren't Riolu eyes typically red?

Ignoring the comment about his eyes, Locke yelled, "What the hell was that for?"

"Oh just having some fun."

"I kicked you clear across the valley! I thought you would have gotten the message by now!"

"Oh, relax. It was just a joke."

"Oh for the love of…Is that the only reason you're here?" Locke asked with a snarl.

"Well…that's part of it." Jack grinned mischievously. "That is so peculiar. Both you and the Kirlia have strange eye colors."

Locke began to tap his foot impatiently. "What is up with you and eye colors? Now are you going to tell me or not?"

"Oh yeah. To make up for upsetting that Kirlia, I moseyed on back to Orsa Village last night and asked around about your Gabite friend."

Locke's expression changed almost immediately, "What?! How is he? Has he healed?"

"He's awake, but can't leave yet."

"Thanks, I needed to know he was okay," Locke said, letting out a sigh of relief and looking toward the ground.

"Okay, so where's my tip?" asked Jack with an expectant look on his face.

Locke's eye twitched slightly as he shifted his gaze toward the Gastly. "What did you say?"

"I don't give messages for free. I'm the fastest messenger this land's ever seen, so pay up."

"I never asked you to do this for me!" Locke began to fill with anger. Jack's grin disappeared and he gulped. "Unless you want a one way ticket to the moon, I suggest you get lost…"

"Wait, just calm…down…There's no reason to resort to violence. We can work this out."

Locke's face twisted into a snarl as he growled the rest of his message, "Leave…NOW!"

"Okay, I'll just let this first one be free. Bye!"

Locke rubbed his temples in irritation as the ghost floated off into the distance and thought, 'I _really _don't like ghosts…'

***

Back on the path, Grace was trying to think of a way to apologize to Locke. She had been a little too harsh on him.

"If you let me go, I'll make it worth your while…"

"Shut up Serena. You don't have Locke so you don't have anything I want." Grace sighed as she thought about how much better it would be once they had dropped Serena off with the sheriff. As she was thinking, Locke walked through the bushes, placed his pack on the ground, and brought out the Oran berries he had collected.

"Sorry I got mad at you Locke…"

"Huh? Oh, it's fine. Well, I ran into Jack again." Grace looked up in surprise. "He said he was sorry for bugging you earlier and as a peace offering, he told me how John was doing."

"And?" Grace was more curious about the Gabite's condition than she was about the Gastly's.

"He's awake, but he's stuck in bed. I should be able to talk to him before we leave town again."

"Is that a good idea? He was hunting you after all."

Serena snapped to attention after hearing this. "So that bitch attacks me and you want to hand me over to the sheriff for defending myself, but you want to _**talk**_ to someone who hunted you like a wild animal! Where's my second chance?!"

Grace gave a quick tug on Serena's leash and pushed her face into the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry Serena," she said in an overly sweet tone, "I couldn't hear what you were saying with all of that dirt in your mouth." All that she got in reply was a muffled scream and curses.

"Knock it off, Grace. It's not our job to punish her."

Grace began to pout, "But Locke…she was asking for it…"

"Come on. I want to get to town before nightfall. I'd really like to sleep in a bed tonight." Grace brightened up after hearing the word "bed." The last couple of times they had slept in a bed, it was together. Staring off into the distance, she giggled.

"Hurry up and eat! We're losing daylight!" At this, Grace grabbed the Oran berry out of Locke's paw and began to eat. 'Oh, life is sweet…'

***

"Life is so not sweet right now!" Grace yelled at the top of her lungs. A storm was almost upon them and they were still a mile from the town.

"Quit complaining. We'll be there soon." Locke cursed in annoyance. Serena, not wanting to go to jail anytime soon, had slowed them down in every way possible. She had even managed to convince a passing Ponyta, that they were kidnappers and that she was being horribly abused. That had taken a good deal of explaining and it didn't help that the Ponyta was arrogant beyond belief. 'That rich bastard probably inherited all of his money. At least Jack worked, or claimed to work, anyways.'

Cracks of thunder could be heard all around them. The lighting would flash, momentarily brightening the entire area as if it was daylight and thunder would smash into each of their bodies an instant later. The sky looked like it would open up any second now. Locke's spirit jumped as the town came into to view, though. "We're almost there. Head for the saloon, they'll still be open."

Dashing into town, Locke made a beeline for the bar with the others right behind them. Basically flying into the bar, he stopped a little too soon, only to have Grace and Serena crash into him from behind. They rolled in a heap across the floor finally stopping on the opposite side of the room. Locke moaned and tried to get up off his stomach, but someone was on top of him.

"Serena, you better not be pinning me to the floor."

"Actually, Locke…I'm the one on top of you…" Grace said.

Blushing, he said, "Could you please get off now?"

"Oh sorry…" With this, she rolled over and let Locke get up. Brushing the sawdust out of his fur, he noticed that Frank and Root were staring at them.

Root was the first one to speak, "Locke, we weren't expecting y'all till after the election…and why's that Dratini have a leash?"

Locke turned to Frank and said, "Do you mind taking custody of Serena for me? She made an attempt on Grace's life and she's crazy as hell."

"That's not true!" Serena screamed, putting on her most pitiful face, "They kidnapped me and did horrible things to me! I was violated!"

Frank took one look at Serena and stood up from his piano. "I just got a wanted poster with your information on it Serena. Apparently you've tried to force numerous males into situations where they would have no choice but to care for you. That in itself isn't a crime, just really, really creepy… but you're also wanted for numerous assault charges and various other crimes. I'm pretty sure you're lying…"

Serena's face went white and she began to scream, "No! It's not me! They forced me to do it! I'm innoc-" *smash*

Grace had slipped up behind her and slammed a chair into her head, "I thought she'd never shut up."

Frank rubbed his horn with his claw and shook his head. "I'm going to pretend I didn't see that. Did anybody else see that…?" When no one answered, he continued, "I'm gonna take her down to the jailhouse. Root, go ahead and get their story. The paperwork alone is gonna take until the next election."

Frank lifted Serena's limp figure over his shoulder and carried her out the batwings where the rain had already begun to come down in torrents. Locke heard him mumbling under his breath as he passed, cursing his luck.

Locke let out a sigh of relief and sat down at the bar. "Where's Mack? I was hoping to get some food for me and Grace. We haven't had anything decent in a day or so."

Locke's question was answered when the Totodile poked his head out of the kitchen window and began to laugh hysterically. "Grace, that was almost as funny as the last time you were here," Mack laughed some more before continuing, "I'll even pay for the broken chair!"

Grace shot Mack a death glare that stopped him in his tracks. Locke didn't understand anything that was going on, so he turned to Root and asked, "Something happen after I left her here the first time?"

Grace shot Root another glare and he sighed before saying, "Eh…we're really not at liberty to tell…"

"Oh…"

***

Grace was tired of listening to Locke recount everything that had happened to them on their short trip to the valley. She desperately wanted to get back to the hotel and try her luck with getting a single bed. An idea struck her and she sprung off of the stool she was sitting at.

"I'm gonna go get us a hotel room. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Locke gave her a concerned look before replying, "Alright, but watch your surroundings and be careful."

"Don't worry, I will." Everything was going perfectly so far. If she was the one to get the room, she'd be able to _accidentally_ get one with one bed.

She reached the hotel and walked inside. Last time she had been here, she hadn't taken the time to look around. The walls had several portraits of past owners as well as some of the famous pokemon that had stayed there over the years. A portrait of Ben the Raichu as well as several other founders hung on the walls.

Approaching the main desk, Grace noticed that most of the hooks which held the room keys were empty. 'Yes! I'll be able to get one with a single bed and not seem too suspicious,' she thought before ringing the bell on the counter. After a few minutes, a tired looking Slowbro walked from a room behind the desk. Opening its mouth, it released a massive yawn for a solid thirty seconds before even acknowledging Grace's presence. Slowly, it turned towards Grace and gave her a dull, empty look.

"I was wondering if I could get a room…" Grace murmured, slightly taken back by the emptiness in the clerk's gaze.

As if considering what she had just said had extreme importance, he began to scratch the side of his head. Finally, he asked, "How many?" drawing out and hanging on each syllable. Grace couldn't tell if he was just tired, drunk, or always this slow.

"Uhhh…two…"

Turning very slowly, he gazed at the key rack for a while before turning back and replying, "We have…one room left with…two beds…Would you like that one?"

"I kind of wanted one with just one bed…" Grace's face turned a light pink color as she said this.

A slow smile spread across the Slowbro's face. "Hey I recognize you… You came in here with that Riolu a few days ago…" Grace became increasingly worried that she would be found out. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get a grasp on the emotions that the clerk was emitting. 'Slowbro have been known to gain psychic attributes so maybe that's the reason… Or maybe he just feels emotions too slow for me to detect them…'

"So you love him don't you?"

Grace's face went from pink to red and she began to stutter, "He's, uhhh, a friend- I mean…How did you…?"

"I'm not as slow as I seem. And yes, I have some psychic abilities. Here's your room key. I'm always on the side of young love so the room's on the house. Enjoy…" Leaving Grace standing there with her mouth hanging open, he slowly turned and walked back through the door behind the desk. Returning to reality, Grace realized she had achieved her goal and ran back outside to get Locke.

***

Locke had pestered Root since Grace had left, but the Grovyle had refused to tell him anything about her. Frustrated, he began to question Mack with similar results. 'What did she do last time that was so funny?' he thought.

At that point Frank walked back in and sat down next to Locke. "Well, Serena's locked up tight and shouldn't bother y'all again… I don't think that will be the end of the drama though. I doubt Serena will be the last girl to fall for you and I _know_ Grace won't react kindly to anyone that does…"

"What does that mean?"

Before the Charmeleon could answer any of Locke's questions, Root walked over and said, "I suggest you drop the subject Frank. Let's let Locke figure it out for himself."

Frank nodded and Locke groaned in frustration. "Damn it Root, I was this close to finding what you had been refusing to tell me all night."

"Sorry Locke, but it's not our place," replied Root with a cheeky grin, "I will give you hint though…"

"I'll take anything."

"Alright, now think. Why would Grace be so eager to get the hotel room for you?"

"How the hell should I know?" Locke banged his head against the bar, "I can sense every emotion she emits, but I still don't understand her…"

A few seconds later, Grace half ran, half skipped into the bar, but calmed herself before speaking. "I got us the hotel room Locke, but I could only get a single bed…"

Frank raised his eyebrow at this but Locke just said, "That's fine Grace. I know the hotel's busy during the elections. Mack, do you have any food? We still haven't eaten yet."

Mack burst out laughing again, confusing Locke to no end. "Boy you sure are some kind a dense. Just for that laugh, the stew's on the house!"

"Uhh…thanks?"

Locke banged his head on the bar again in defeat. "I give up…"

***

Jack hummed to himself as he floated through the forest. He had always been cheerful in contrast to the somber, sad ghost pokemon that typically haunted this world. His philosophy was that he was a pokemon like everyone else, so why should he act like he's dead? Reaching his destination he stopped and waited. It was unusual for his contact to be on time. Sometimes it bordered on being ridiculously late.

After about an hour, Jack started to become impatient. "Damn it! I'm on a schedule," he exclaimed to no one in particular, "I've got more messages for the Capitol and they deduct pay if I'm late."

A tall figure walked out of the bushes and said, "Relax already, I'm here. You've got your entire afterlife to make money."

"Ha Ha, because I'm a ghost. That's _so original_," Jack's voice was saturated with sarcasm, "Ghost pokemon aren't dead. For crying out loud, we just live a really long time and can pass through walls. We're spooky. GET OVER IT!"

The figure sat down and crossed his legs before asking, "What news do you have for me?"

Jack dropped the sarcasm and shifted to a more serious tone. "Benedict has begun to recruit his army. And by recruit, I mean that he's forcing every able bodied Ghost, Poison, and Dark type to join his crusade against all of the 'impure.'"

"When do you expect him to mobilize?"

"His progress is slow as of now, so not until after the election."

"And what of the bounty hunter, did you find him? We're in short supply of generals and he would make an excellent addition to the army."

"I found the Gabite, John, in Orsa Village. He had been severely wounded in a recent battle and had just regained consciousness. I asked him if he wanted the job, but he refused, saying something about how he wasn't fit to lead. He did, however, point me in the direction of someone that might come in handy if we needed help with special missions."

The figure leaned in a little closer to the Gastly. "Do tell."

Jack continued, "It was actually the pokemon that had caused him the injuries. A Riolu name Locke."

The figure raised an eyebrow. "A Riolu defeated a Gabite and was in good enough shape afterwards to walk away?"

"That's not even the most interesting part. I found him in the valley where the founders use to meet. He was helping another pokemon train. One day, after they were done training, the other pokemon went down to the river where she was attacked by a Dratini. She ended up being seriously wounded, but she managed to defeat the Dratini before she passed out. The Riolu seems very attached to her and is extremely protective."

"What's so interesting about that?"

"The girl is a Kirlia, sir."

The figures eye's showed confusion at first, but then widened in surprise, "You don't mean…"

"Yes, Striker, it was your daughter, Grace."

* * *

A/N- And there you have it. Not much of a surprise I know, but there were other surprises in the chapter. Now I'm serious when I say this next part. Please Review! I know I have more than a few regular readers out there so please tell me what you think! This story's been hit over a hundred times and it has hardly any reviews! Either review, or I'll track you down once I get connections and ask you not so kindly in person. Please, I want to know what you think. Even if you're mean about it, tell me!

Next chapter- We might actually make to the Capitol! The Ponyta that was passively mentioned will make a true debut and Grace will most likely flirt with Locke, but he'll be too dense to notice just like in this chapter. Until next time!


	7. The Close Call

A/N- Sorry about taking so long, but you know how things go. Besides, it was only a little over a week so get over it. Read & Review, Rest & Relax, and all that stuff. Seriously, though, REVIEW!

* * *

The Close Call

Grace awoke during the night, the warmth of the body next to her beckoning her to move closer. Her little plan had gone off without a hitch and Locke was sleeping next to her facing the opposite direction. In pure bliss, she almost didn't notice when he began to mumble in his sleep.

"Grace, please… don't go…" As he said this, Grace sensed emotions of fear and despair flow through the Riolu. Moving her body closer to his and wrapping her arms around him, she smiled when the emotions ceased and were replaced by a calm joy that seemed to warm his body even more.

"I promise you Locke… that no matter what happens, no matter what we face, I'll never leave you…" Wrapping her arms tighter around him and feeling his soft warmth, she slowly slipped back to sleep.

But through the heavy drowsiness that fogged her mind, she heard a faint, almost inaudible response, "Thank you, Grace…"

***

The morning sun slipped through the hotel window and began to wake Locke from his peaceful sleep. Feeling the warmth of someone else's body surrounding him, he smiled. 'So it had been her…' he thought. Locke had dreamt that Grace was leaving him. In his despair he called out to her and the dream ended. She had found him when he needed her most.

Gently removing her arms from around him, Locke got out of the bed and found his way to the hotel's wash basin. Splashing the cold water in his face, it cleared the drowsiness from his vision. Searching the hotel room, he found a stack of blank sheets of paper and a quill pen on the room's table. Scribbling a quick note to tell Grace where he'd gone, he slipped out of the room as quietly as possible.

John was still in the town and this could be his only chance to speak to him before he left. The Gabite would disappear once he was fully healed. Walking to the sheriff's office, he knocked on the door lightly.

Frank's voice answered him from inside, "Who knocks on the door to a sheriff's office? It's a public building. Come in." Entering the room, Locke was relieved to find that a heavy door separated the office from the jail cells. He wouldn't have to see Serena and that was fine with him.

The rest of the room was typical of most law offices that he'd seen. A cot was in the corner of the room, providing the elected sheriff a place to sleep when he worked long hours. The floor was made of wood, just like every other building in Orsa village. At the wall opposite the entrance, was a large desk where Frank was currently sitting behind. Stacks of papers littered the desk and the floor around it. 'No wonder he was so upset last night,' Locke thought, 'He's already up to his horn in paper work.'

"Oh Locke, it's you. I didn't think you'd want to check up on Serena after what she put y'all through," Frank said.

"Actually, I'm here to find out where John is. I heard he was still too injured to leave town, so I wanted talk to him before I left again."

"Well I do know where he is," Frank replied, "but first you're gonna have to tell me something."

Locke's let out a deep sigh. He had a pretty good idea where this was heading and he didn't want to go there. His past with the Gabite was something he didn't want to discuss. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"How much do you care for Grace?" This took Locke by surprise. He hadn't expected Grace to be the subject and his face showed as much. "Before you two restart your journey, I'd like to know."

Locke began to feel anger swell up inside of him. The question wasn't Frank's to ask. Locke replied, "How I feel about her is my own business."

"You're sure afraid of your feelings, aren't you? Do you feel guilty for some reason? Did you hurt someone? How do I know you won't hurt Grace as well?"

Locke became furious and yelled, "My past has nothing to do with this and I would never harm Grace! Why the hell do you care? You're of no relation to her!"

Frank stood up from behind his desk, the flame on his tail growing noticeably fiercer. "I've grown fond of the girl is all," Frank's voice began to climb in volume, "and I don't want some oblivious bastard treading all over her feelings! Now tell me, damn it!"

Locke felt like his emotions were going to tear him apart. "I care for her more than my own life!" His voice softened as he continued, "I'll do everything I have to do to protect her…"

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Frank sat down again and said, "Well congratulations. You passed… Root, Mack, you can come out now." The two bartenders walked through the heavy door that connected the office to the jail, seeming very uneasy about the situation.

Mack was the first one to speak, "Well sorry boy, but we had to find out if you really cared for the lass is all. If you're mad, then you can just get over it."

"Ya see," Root continued, "we've come too really like that girl and we don't want to see her hurt. I hope you can forgive us."

Locke crossed his arms and sighed, regaining control of his emotions before replying, "You had no right. Now where can I find John?"

Frank answered him, "He's staying at the clinic a street over…"

"Thanks." Locke walked out of the office without another word.

***

Grace awoke slowly, with a certain, familiar warmth missing from her side. The chill of the morning air had found its way into the room and she curled into a ball, shivering. Realizing that Locke wasn't in the room, she ignored the cold and walked over to the washbasin. After cleaning up a little she almost walked out of the room, but stopped when she noticed the slip of paper on the table. All it said was that he was going to the sheriff's office for a bit and would be back soon.

At that moment, she felt Locke's emotions sky rocket out of control. It was a mix of fury, anger and confusion. Rushing out of the room, she flew down the hall, but was blocked by the Slowbro that she'd talked to the night before. "Uh, excuse me sir, I'm in a bit of a hurry so if you don't mind…"

The clerk turned around painfully slow and a grin spread across his face. "Oh it's you. How did last night go?"

Grace eyes glowed as she lifted the Slowbro into the air above her with a Confusion attack and set him behind her. Running off she called back, "Sorry, but I don't have time right now." The clerk chuckled to himself at her actions and stopped her with his own psychic powers.

Pulling her back he said, "Whoa, now… Why in such a rush?"

Grace's limbs flailed uselessly in the air as she tried to free herself. "I don't have time for this!" Focusing her mind on the street outside, Grace Teleported in a blue flash of light leaving the clerk to puzzle what had just happened.

Reappearing in the street, Grace dashed to the sheriff's office fearful of what may have happened. Locke's emotions had died back down extremely fast and she couldn't sense them anymore. Arriving at her destination, she burst into the office to find Frank, Root, and Mack all with surprised looks on their faces. "Where's Locke? Is something wrong?"

Mack rushed over to her and said, "Relax little lady, Locke's doing fine. We just upset him a bit is all."

Frank stood up from behind his desk and said, "A wanted poster came in with his description. We confronted him and he became angry, alright? The matter's been resolved now so there ain't anything to worry about. It was all just a big misunderstanding."

Grace focused her horns solely on the Charmeleon. 'Let's see if that's really the truth,' she thought, but she frowned when she felt hardly anything from him at all. He had complete control of his emotions and Grace couldn't tell either way. "I suppose I'll have to believe you… Where is he now?"

"He went to visit that bounty hunter before y'all leave town again," Root said, "but I think you'd best not follow him. He seemed like he wanted to talk to him alone."

Grace sighed. She knew this was personal for him and she would just have to give him some space. Based on what had already happened, it was going to be a long day.

***

"So we're finally done fighting each other?"

John nodded and said, "I lost in a fair fight. There's nothing holding me down anymore."

Locke was sitting next to the former bounty hunters bed. "What about your boss? He'll never let you out of that contract."

John clenched his claws into a fist and said, "I can give you a few good places of where he should shove that contract. Besides, he doesn't have any influence out West and that's where I'm planning on going next."

Locke took on a less serious tone, "Aren't you a little old to be dreaming of adventure?"

John smiled and said, "Adventure is the farthest thing from my mind. I'm hoping to find a decent mate and settle down. You're lucky, Locke. You're already halfway there."

Locke blushed and said, "Me and Grace aren't like that."

"Could a fooled me," John replied.

"Oh what do you know?"

"Oh admit it. You love her."

"I _care_ about her. That's all there is to it."

"No it ain't."

"Yes it is!"

"Oh come on. You're turning beet red, which is hard to do when your fur's blue."

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"I never said anything about _girlfriends_. You must _really_ like her to already be thinking about that."

"Oh just shut up already!"

***

Grace was walking back to the hotel. She just couldn't figure out why Locke could have been so upset. He wasn't one to lose his temper over something as harmless as a wanted poster… Not to that degree anyway. Frank had obviously known the real reason, but it wouldn't have done any good to ask him. Grace was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice when a Ponyta stepped in front of her and she walked right into him. She fell back and landed on her butt with a loud "Ouch! Watch where you're going, asshole!"

Shaking her head, she looked up to see the Ponyta was dressed in a purple cloth of some sort with a gold trim. You couldn't really even call it clothes though. It was just a large piece of cloth with holes for his head and mane that stretched to the middle of his legs. Even so, it looked very expensive

"Why you ungrateful little whelp!" the Ponyta shouted at Grace, "I give you a job as my _personal_ servant, provide a roof over your head, and as soon as we leave the estate you run off!" He turned to a Hitmonchan and said, "Restrain her, Jean, and bring the brat with us. We're taking her back to the estate. As for you Julia, I don't want to hear any whining. I'll show you what happens when you cross a Cavelo."

Grace went wide eyed at what was happening. Jean grabbed her and slipped some sort of necklace around her neck. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" she yelled.

"Oh shut up Julia," the Ponyta said, "you should have known I was going to find you."

Grace struggled desperately in the Hitmonchan's grasp. "What are you talking about?" she cried frantically, "My name's Grace!" The Ponyta trotted off and Jean followed with her thrown over his shoulder. Realizing she couldn't free herself from his grasp, she focused all of her energy into a Confusion attack. The mental waves seemed to bounce around in her mind as she screamed in pain and passed out.

***

Locke waved goodbye to John and walked out the door. He felt good. It had been a long time since he'd gotten a chance to have a true conversation with him. 'Out West…" he thought, 'maybe Grace and I could… No, I couldn't possibly protect her out there…' Mentally chastising himself as he went, Locke strolled toward Frank's office. His head was clearer and he wasn't as angry about what had happened.

'They care for Grace too, is all.' With all the assholes walking around, he could even understand their reasons a bit. Just yesterday he had run into such a jerk; a rich, conceited Ponyta named Simon Cavelo. His family owned a sprawling estate to the north, a little closer to the Capitol. Serena had put on quite a show and, being the idiot he was, Simon had fallen for it. Grace happened to be off collecting water from a nearby stream at the time so she hadn't yet had the displeasure of meeting him.

It was probably for the best too. Simon was searching for a runaway indentured servant named Julia who just happened to be a Ralts. Had Grace been there it would have probably caused unnecessary complications.

Reaching the sheriff's office, he paused and took a deep breath. Opening the door, he found that Root and Mack had already left. Frank was sitting behind his desk doing paperwork and didn't seem to notice him come in. "I'm sorry I got so angry. It was uncalled for," Locke said.

"We rubbed you the wrong way. It was only natural for you to be mad," Frank replied, "By the way, Grace came in here looking for you. She sensed your outburst from the hotel and came running. I told her we had shown you a falsified wanted poster of yourself, but I don't think she bought it. I explained where you were going, too, and I'm pretty sure she went back to the hotel."

"Thanks. Give my regards to Root and Mack," Locke said.

"Uh-huh…" Frank went back to his paperwork and Locke left the office.

On his way back, he was stopped by a Slowbro whom he recognized to be the hotel's clerk. The clerk paused and breathed in a slow, deep rhythm, apparently out of breath. Finally he said, "I've been looking… everywhere… for you. Your Kirlia friend is in trouble."

Locke's dark, green eyes widened in panic. "What do you mean? How do you know?"

"I felt her mind scream out in pain about an hour ago," the clerk said, "When I went to find her, she was being carried off by a Hitmonchan. He was following a Ponyta toward the northern edge of town."

Locke silently cursed under his breath and turned to dash after Grace. Just before he took the first step the Slowbro grabbed his paw and pulled him back. "Wait, I collected your things." At this the clerk handed Locke both his and Grace's packs.

Nodding, Locke turned and sprinted to the North. 'I should have known that rich bastard was going to be trouble…'

***

When Grace awoke, she was still being carried by the Hitmonchan. Focusing her sensors, she tried to get a better idea of what she was dealing with. She was met, however, with a throbbing pain that wracked her entire body. Something was wrong. Feeling a heavy weight on her neck, her eyesight came into focus to find she was wearing a dark, purple pendent.

"Oh, so your finally awake," said the Hitmonchan who still had her thrown over his shoulder, "Really Julia, you should know better than to run away. Master Simon is really angry."

"Who the hell is Julia?" Grace yelled in frustration, "My name's Grace!" Grace began to struggle again, but to no avail.

"It doesn't really matter," he said, "The master says that you're Julia and what he says goes."

"Why can't I use my psychic powers?"

"You should know that Julia. You've had to wear that pendant ever since you started working for the Cavelo family."

Grace immediately tried to pull it off of her, but she was thrown into agony when she did. Screaming, she let the pendant go and the pain stopped. Gasping for breath, she went limp.

When she regained her breath, she began to look around. They were on the same path she and Locke had been traveling on before. 'We've left the village…' Grace felt her emotions welling up inside of her. 'Locke doesn't know where I am… he doesn't know…' The tears began to stream down her face as she thought about her hopeless situation. "Locke…" she whispered.

"Oh please. Stop your blasted crying," the Ponyta from before said. He maneuvered himself behind Jean and continued, "Your escape attempt failed, get over it. You still have another six years on your contract and I don't want to be around a crybaby."

Grace broke out into sobs, unable to hold back anymore. "Locke," she whispered, "save me…"

***

Locke was sprinting as fast as he could. He had to get Grace back. Realizing that he was tiring himself out, he slowed to a jog. If his assumptions were correct, than that Ponyta had mistaken Grace for the indentured servant he was looking for. He would punish that arrogant bastard for this.

Focusing his Aura, Locke searched the road ahead as far as he could. He could just barely feel Grace's Aura. They were only about a mile farther up the path. Picking up his speed again, he cursed himself again for not preventing this in the first place. 'I won't lose her,' he thought, 'I won't…'

Locke continued to run. Finally, he topped a rise in the road and they came into to view. Dashing forward with added energy he closed the distance between them. Grace was still being held by the Hitmonchan that the hotel clerk had described and Simon was trotting ahead of them.

Locke jumped over the Hitmonchan and grabbed Grace out of his arms, landing near the side of the path. She was unconscious and her face was stained with tears.

"What do you think you're doing?" cried Simon, "That girl belongs to me! Jean, get her back, now!"

"You monster," Locke yelled, "She is not yours to own!" Placing her down gently on the ground and setting the packs down as well, he stood up ready to fight. This was going to be difficult. He could handle the Ponyta easily, but the Hitmonchan was a different story. He had scars across his body, showing that he'd been in many fights. He was more experienced and not to be taken lightly.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jean," the Hitmonchan said, "May I ask you what your name is?"

"Shut the hell up!" Locke replied, "You're as much of a monster as he is and you're both going to pay for taking Grace!" Locke rushed forward and launched a fury of punches and kicks at his opponent. Jean dodged each attack with ease and fired his fist forward at the first sign of an opening. Locke tried to jump back, but the punch was too fast and made contact with his chest. Locke flew backward and slammed into a tree. 'He's quick; I'll have to beat him some other way…'

"Good show, Jean. Now finish him off!"

"Why don't you stop playing around and fight me for real?" Jean taunted, ignoring his Master's order.

Locke retook a fighting stance and smiled. He ran towards Jean again, but this time used Double Team. The images surrounded the Hitmonchan on all sides who responded by destroying every single one of them with a quick jab. When all of the images were gone, he looked around frantically, unable to find the original. "Up here, idiot." Locke had used the images as a diversion and had jumped above Jean while he was distracted. Using Force Palm, Locke smashed Jean's head into the ground, knocking him unconscious. "I guess you weren't experienced as I thought you were."

Locke turned to Simon who had a look of horror on his face. "As for you, I think I'll make your suffering last a while before I knock you out." Locke took one step toward him and Simon peed himself before fainting and falling over. "That's what I thought…"

Turning his attention back to Grace, he walked over to where she was. Picking her and the packs up, he started walking. After putting some distance between him and Grace's kidnappers, Locke found a shady tree near the road and set Grace and the packs down. Carrying so much weight after everything that had happened had worn him rather quickly.

Bending down he inspected Grace to make sure she wasn't hurt. She seemed to be alright physically, but the Aura she was giving off showed her to be in some sort of pain. It was then that Locke noticed the pendant. He removed it from around her neck in order to get a better look at it. Grace's Aura became noticeably more peaceful and her eyes slowly opened. "L-Locke… Is that you?"

"Don't worry, you're safe now," he said, "I took care of things." Locke sat down and leaned against the tree. "You really had me worried, you know. Why didn't you just Teleport out of there?"

Grace tried to sit up, but was too fatigued so she settled with laying her head on Locke's lap instead. "It's not my fault," she said, "The stone on that pendent is real similar to the stones in that cave behind the waterfall that I took you to. It threw my attacks back at me and made me pass out. When I tried to take it off the pain became unbearable."

"I see… well get some rest. We'll leave once you're ready to go." Grace didn't answer. She had already dosed off in his lap. Locke smiled and closed his eyes. 'I won't lose her,' he thought, 'it won't happen again…'

"Well isn't that a cute sight?" Locke's eyes opened to find Jack hovering in front of him. "You two just make the cutest couple."

"Why the hell are you here?! I thought we'd gotten rid of you!" Locke said, "Don't you have dead stuff to do or something?"

The Gastly frowned and said, "Why can't people get it through their thick skulls? I'm… ALIVE!"

"Maybe because you don't have a skull to begin with?"

Jack moaned in a way that only a ghost could manage. "This is exactly what I'm talking about! Anyways, I've got another job to do so I'll leave soon. But first…" half of Jack's body became covered by a creepy smile, "just how far have you two gone so far?"

Locke growled and said, "We haven't done _anything_. Now leave us alone."

"So you're telling me that you two sleep together and you're not even dating?"

Locke blushed. "There were only a few rooms left and none of them had two beds."

"Oh, sure," the ghost's grin grew even larger, "_That's _the reason…"

"You act like a damn stalker. Now put fifty miles between us or I'll kick you twice that far!"

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving," Jack's body began to fade, "Can't even take a stupid joke…"

Locke sighed and settled back against the tree. Grace hadn't woken up and for that he was thankful. 'I have a feeling that won't be the last time we see him… At least he's not another enemy. I can't say the same for Simon though. The next time we see him, there'll be trouble…'

***

It had been three days since Grace's kidnapping and she still couldn't keep herself from looking over her shoulder every ten minutes. She was scared to the point where she almost stopped trying to get Locke to rest in the same sleeping bag with her… almost…

"But Locke, what if they try to take me again?" Grace made her face look as pitiful as possible, "Wouldn't it be safer if we stay close to each other?"

Locke smiled and said, "What'll people think if they see us doing that kind a thing?"

Grace groaned in frustration. He'd been like this ever since they started traveling again. There wasn't anybody watching them and Locke had to know it. It was as if he was oblivious to her advances. It's not like she was going too far. Grace just wanted to be close to him.

"There's no one out here! It doesn't matter anyways. Please? I get lonely…" Grace sensed a wave of guilt come from Locke. 'Ah hah! I've got him now,' she thought.

"Look… the last couple of times have been because they were running short on beds at the hotel. It just doesn't seem appropriate to do it out here…"

"But sleeping by myself reminds me of how it was before I met you…" Grace almost lost control when she felt his emotional response. The whole reason he'd promised to stay with her was because she was lonely.

She almost regretted what she was doing, making him feel so guilty, but all of her doubts disappeared when he said, "Alright, but we face different directions."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Grace wrapped her arms around him and hugged him as tight as she could.

"Now that that's settled, what do you want to eat for supper?"

"No supper," Grace whispered, "Just you…"

"Grace, I can hardly hear you. What did you say?"

"Uhhhh… Leppa Berries! I want some Leppa berries!"

"Why is it that every time you say something I can't hear, you tell me you want some Leppa berries? They're not even that good."

"Anything's good when I'm with you…"

"What?"

"I said I want some Sitrus berries, too. Now hurry up, I'm starving."

* * *

A/N- Not by best work by far, I know. I really needed to get them out of Orsa village and this seemed like a way to do it. Wasn't much room for jokes though. Review and tell me what you think. Oh, and thanks goes to xxxxxSilverDrumxxxxx for the character Simon Cavelo.


	8. Tests, Missions, and Julia

A/N- Yeah, yeah. I know it took me a while to update. Why don't you try balancing relatives, camping, school, politics, a new video game, and a fanfiction account all at once? This chapter is much better than the last. Ironically, it draws a bunch of important details from that chapter. Read & Review, Rest & Relax...

* * *

Tests, Missions, and Julia

"Are you absolutely sure we have to do this?" Grace was staring at a large hole in the ground, unsure about what they were about to do. "It looks dark and _real_ creepy in there…"

"Oh relax," Locke said from a ledge below her, "It's just a cave and it's the best way to shake our stalker off our tail." Someone had been following them for the last week. He hadn't made any moves, but she and Locke had agreed it would be best to get rid of their pursuer.

Grace looked into the hole apprehensively. She wasn't afraid of caves… she was afraid of heights. The floor of the cave was eighty feet below the entrance and Locke expected her to just climb down the side like it was nothing. "Maybe the person trailing us is just Jack again…" Grace said.

"No, he pops up out of nowhere and is very good at hiding his Aura. I've sensed this guy the entire time. He's kept the amount of distance between us about the same no matter what our pace has been, too, so it's not just a coincidence. This will be the only way we can lose him. Now just swing over the side and I'll catch you. "

Grace lowered herself onto the side of the wall and froze. Looking over her shoulder, all she could see was the faint outline of sharp rocks. She closed her eyes and tried to take deep breaths as she said to herself, "Locke will catch me. It's only a small drop to the ledge below…"

"Come on Grace, we have to get moving."

"Okay, I'll go on three…" Grace took a deep breath and began to count, "One… Two… Thr-" Grace screamed as the rock she was holding onto gave way and she fell into empty air. As she fell past the ledge Locke was on, both of his paws grabbed her under her arms. With a grunt, he pulled her back onto the ledge.

"Are you okay?" Locke asked.

"I hate heights…"

"Come on, we still have a ways to go."

Grace groaned and followed Locke, making sure to put her feet exactly where he did. As they descended, the solid cliff face turned into what seemed to be a ton of large boulders stacked on top of each other. The climbing involved moving from boulder to boulder in the hopes that the next one would lead to another step down. It wasn't as scary, but the stones were rough and hurt any bit of skin that touched them.

After they were about halfway down, Locke stopped and sat down with his legs dangling over the edge of the rock they were on. "Let's take a break. I can tell you're tired," he said.

"Ugh… my entire body has scratches all over it…" Grace said as she sat next to him. All of her limbs ached, but she had completely forgotten her fear of heights.

"Yeah, these rocks will do that to you. Listen. Once we're in the tunnels, we'll reach a lit chamber with a bunch of crystals. I want you to take the second path from the right. It'll take you to the surface.

"Why? Aren't you coming too?" Grace asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be along shortly. I just need to do something, before I leave the cave." he replied.

Grace said, "Well let's get this over with then. I'm sick of all of this dim lighting. Besides, I think I've finally gotten the hang of what we're doing…" As she said this, Grace stood up only to hit her head on an overhanging rock. Locke snickered and she glared intensely at him before hopping to the next rock. 'It never fails,' she thought.

***

'This is going to be a problem…' thought Striker as he watched Grace disappear into the large hole. He'd been keeping an eye on them ever since Jack had filled him in on the kidnapping incident. That Riolu had caught on very quickly and even varied their paces to test his suspicions. 'Now, he's found a way to easily throw me off their trail…' Striker thought.

In truth, Striker was more than impressed. On top of being very capable and decisive in a tough situation, he controlled his emotions remarkably well for one so young. 'He seems to be about the same age as Grace,' he thought, 'but he's become very experienced in his short life…'

The Gallade waited a while before checking their progress. Peering over the side, he was surprised to see Grace jumping from boulder to boulder ahead of the Riolu. 'He truly brings out the best in my daughter, that's for sure…' From his vantage point Striker saw the two of them reach the cave floor and enter one of the many tunnels that branched off from the entrance. The Riolu must have known the layout of the caves already. Otherwise he wouldn't have risked getting lost down there.

Swiftly jumping from rock to rock, Striker made his way to the bottom in a matter of seconds. 'Alright, let's see how well you know these caves,' he thought. Running into the same tunnel they had used, he closed his eyes and focused his mind. His psychic powers had been weakened by years of neglect, but he could still use them to guide his movements.

Traversing the passages at a slow pace so as to not come too close to them, he carefully made his way into a large chamber. Mushrooms that grew in bunches at various spots throughout the chamber gave off a soft glow. That glow was then cast upon the rest of the chamber by various crystal structures that lined the ceiling and walls. Stopping, Striker admired the natural beauty and took in his surroundings.

"Okay, who are you and why have you been following us?" Striker turned quickly to find Locke staring at him from across the room.

"I must admit I'm surprised," Striker said, "I fully expected you to make a getaway through the caves." Striker scanned the area as he spoke. His daughter was nowhere to be found and was completely out of range of what little psychic powers he had left. "I see your friend is no longer with you. What happened to her?"

Locke snarled and said, "That's none of you business. Now tell me who you are!"

Striker chuckled a little and said, "Tell you what… beat me in a fight and I'll tell you."

"You're gonna regret making that offer!" Locke yelled before sprinting toward Striker with surprising speed. Striker barely dodged a Force Palm and was forced to jump back. Extending his blades, he prepared to counter.

Locke used Double Team and the images circled Striker. 'Child's play,' he thought, 'you're obviously trying to distract while you get into position for a direct attack.' Noticing that one of the Riolu had jumped above him, he launched a Psycho Cut. "Your little tricks aren't going to fool me." The Riolu dissipated and his cut slammed into the ceiling. Realizing his mistake, Striker turned just in time to block a Force Palm from the real Locke.

Smiling, Locke raised his other paw which produced a white sphere. Striker's eyes widened and a Psycho Cut almost identical to his fired out of the white sphere pushing him into the cave wall. Grunting, he finally broke through the copied technique and retook a fighting stance. 'He's even more skilled than I thought…' Striker thought.

Blocking another Force Palm, Striker countered with a series of slashes with varying success. His cuts were either blocked or just barely scratched him. Locke seemed to anticipate the movements almost before Striker could attack. Changing tactics, the Gallade reached out and grabbed both of Locke's paws in an attempt to keep him from attacking any more.

Pinning him down against the ground, Striker stared down at the immobilized Riolu. Breathing heavily, he said, "You're much better… than I anticipated," leaning in closer he continued, "but you're still just a pup."

Locke smiled and replied, "Sorry, but this 'pup' is gonna win." Locke's tail swept Striker off of his feet and the Gallade fell back onto the ground. He rolled away just as another Force Palm came down where his head had been.

"Well I've accomplished everything I needed to, so I'll just take my leave," Striker said as he stood up and retracted his blades.

"Hold it! We're not done yet," Locke yelled.

Striker jumped back to the tunnel he had entered from and sprinted out of the chamber, leaving the Riolu behind. 'I may have gone easy on him,' he thought, 'but he's definitely capable of protecting Grace…' Striker reached the entrance and swiftly jumped to the top.

Running toward the north, he looked back and sighed. As a father he was apprehensive about leaving his daughter in the hands of another pokemon, much less a male her age, but he had to let her go. Both of them were needed for the mission or at least that's what Jack kept telling him. His old friend Ben seemed to agree as did the candidates who were currently competing for Ben's position.

According to Jack, Locke wouldn't be able to go unless Grace went with him. This was what Striker couldn't get. Why would Grace being absent prevent Locke from accepting the mission? He was certainly capable enough to do it on his own.

Striker began to slow down as he thought about the two of them. 'Locke had promised to protect Grace and she had agreed to travel with him as a result…' Striker thought, 'Grace wouldn't keep him from going unless…' Striker stopped completely as he finally put all of the pieces together. "Oh crap…"

***

"Uh, Grace, I only agreed we keep doing this if we faced opposite directions…"

"Why yes I'd like some Leppa berries…" Grace mumbled in her sleep.

"Grace," Locke tried again, "can you please let go of me?"

"No, Mr. Slowbro. One bed will do just fine…"

This is what he got for agreeing to rest in the same sleeping bag with her. She had rolled over in the middle of the night and wrapped her arms around him in her sleep. Giving up, Locke sighed and let his mind wander.

The Gallade he had faced the day before was still troubling him. He had held back the entire fight and yet the fight seemed extremely important to the pursuer. The entire thing confused Locke. Not only that, but he didn't seem like he was after them for any particular reason. He'd stopped trailing them after they left the cave and Locke hadn't felt his Aura since. If he didn't know any better, Locke would have said it was nothing but curiosity.

Sighing again, he snuggled more into Grace's hug. He might as well enjoy her presence. She was something he'd never had before. It seemed deeper than just friendship, but Locke didn't fully understand it yet. Pushing it to the back of his mind he let his drowsiness overtake him and fell asleep.

When they awoke the next morning, they broke camp and set out for the Capitol again. They still had plenty of time till the election, but were already relatively close to the Capitol so they moved at a leisurely pace. In fact, the election seemed to be the farthest thing from Locke's mind. He had been giving Grace some pointers on how to anticipate an enemy's movements when the ground they were walking on gave way and they fell into a pit.

Groaning in pain, Locke looked up and heard two familiar voices whispering to each other.

"Catching _them _wasn't part of the plan! Damn it, Cain! Did you plan this somehow?"

"Look we wanted to trap some weaklings, Mark, and they're certainly weak. Let's just steal their stuff and be on our way."

Locke looked over and saw that Grace seemed unhurt, but was too disoriented to think straight. Standing up, he jumped from wall to wall and landed behind the two that were talking and realized at once who they were.

"He expressly said that he's poorer than dirt and I believe him," said a Houndoom, "Plus, didn't you hear about that bounty hunter, Jaw? He was smashed into Gabite dust _by a Riolu! _Let's just leave now and dig a hole somewhere else."

The Croagunk shook his head and said, "We put a lot of work into digging that blasted trap. Let's at least steal their packs before we abandon this hole."

"So you really think you can steal from me?" Locke asked. The two thieves froze at the sound of his voice and slowly turned around. Locke crossed his arms and looked at them expectantly.

Cain was the first to speak up, "Ye-Yes we do! Now hand over everything you got!"

Locke shook his head. "Wrong answer…" Dashing between them, he struck them both with a Force Palm to the skull. They fell to the ground unconscious. "Now why didn't I just do that when I first met them?" Locke said to no one in particular. Walking back to hole, he peered over the side and shouted to Grace, "Hey, are you alright?"

"I've got dirt in places where I should never have dirt," Grace replied.

"Do you want my help, or can you get back up here yourself?"

"Give me just a second." Grace disappeared for an instant and reappeared in a blue flash of light next to Locke. "Now that we're out, how come you didn't sense that hole before we fell in?"

"It was an extremely well built hole. The craftsmanship of the trap was actually very impressive. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Those two could make a lot of money if they weren't thieves."

"Oh, so it was the thieves from before. How are they?" Grace asked.

"They didn't really have a chance to talk. Shall we move on? The Capitol is only a week and a half away," Locke said.

"The sooner we get to a hotel, the better," Grace said.

"So we can finally get one with two beds?" Locke asked.

"Sure… _That's_ the reason…" Grace replied as they walked off.

***

"Dang it Locke! Why did you antagonize him?" Grace was fuming. They'd walked half a day and ended up in the exact same spot where they had camped the night before. They were still four days from the Capitol.

"How was I supposed to know he'd Teleport us back to last night's campsite?" Locke replied.

"You made fun of the shape of his head! If I had the skill of a Xatu, I'd do the exact same thing!" Grace rubbed her temples in annoyance.

"I was trying to lighten the mood! He was talking all this nonsense about us facing some horrible challenge. It was depressing!" Locke exclaimed.

"Xatu are known for their ability to see both the past and the future. We shouldn't take his warnings lightly!" Grace yelled back.

"Serena was a horrible, disturbing challenge. How do you know he wasn't talking about her?"

"YOU! ARE! IMPOSSIBLE!" Grace stormed off into the forest. She just couldn't stand it anymore. After walking a ways, she found a log and sat down. He was being overly difficult and she would just wait until he came and apologized.

Grace's mind began to wander as she stared off into the canopy of the forest. Thinking about their fight, she began to feel it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Bickering was almost always present between couples and this was their first real fight. Whether Locke admitted it or not, that's what they were becoming.

"A couple…" Grace whispered, "Us… a couple…"

"Who's a couple?" Grace shrieked and fell backward at the sight of Jack materializing in front of her.

Grace blushed and stammered, "N-no one. I d-don't know what you're talking about."

"That was some fight, huh? I bet you're really mad at him right now. Or were you just fantasizing about this being your first fight as a couple?" Jack said, "Maybe Locke would like to hear what you were saying…"

Grace's eyes widened in horror and Jack began to chuckle. "Oh relax, I'm not here to play matchmaker. I actually have a message from your father."

Grace stood up and gave the Gastly a funny look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. You're father asked me to give you a message. Since he's one of my biggest clients, I agreed." Jack lowered himself onto the log and his body seemed to warp a little as he rested on top of it.

"You can't tell Locke who my dad is," Grace exclaimed quickly.

"Fine, but can I ask why?" Jack said.

Grace looked down at the ground and said, "If he knows that I'm the daughter of the former leader, than…"

"He might treat you differently. I understand."

"Thanks…"

"Anyways, I've yet to give you the message and I do have a schedule to keep. You lovebirds upsetting that Xatu has really put me behind. I had to rush all of the way back here just to find you."

"Wait, how long have you been watching us?"

"That's beside the point," said Jack changing the subject, "Striker wanted me to warn you about the upcoming war."

"WAR! Are you joking? We only just freed ourselves from the Empire. What other nation even knows about us?"

"The newest nation under the leadership of Benedict the Traitor," Jack said, "It looks like things are going to get bad during the next leader's term and we're going to need soldiers fast. We don't exactly have a very large standing army right now."

"What about the militias?" Grace asked, getting an idea of what her father might want.

"They've all but dissolved in the last few years of peace."

"How much does my dad know about Locke?" Grace asked, horrified at what the answer might be.

"Enough to know he's a more than capable fighter," Jack answered.

"NO!" Grace yelled, "I won't let you take Locke away from me! You can find somebody else to die for the country!"

"Hold on, you misunderstand," Jack explained, "We need _two_ agents to help us take down Benedict. We need both you and Locke."

Grace became confused. Did her father actually want _her_ to fight for the country? "Daddy would never let me do that kind of thing…" she said quietly.

"He actually fought it pretty hard, but our current leader and both candidates have been informed of the situation and they all agree. We can't send Locke without you. No matter who wins the next election, both of you will be asked to become members of our nation's Secret Service."

***

"Are you telling me that the only reason my daughter is going to be put in so much danger is because she has a crush on the only qualified person for the mission!" Striker felt like he could slash the entire building into a thousand pieces.

"Well, yes, that's basically it," replied a Raichu from behind a large wooden desk.

"Ben! That's the biggest pile of… How would you feel if it was one of your daughters?" Ben was being absolutely adamant about this and it was driving Striker insane.

"Wasn't it you who said personal feelings should never interfere with a job this important?" Ben replied coolly.

"I also said that being leader was like having a dozen rusty nails driven into your brain one at a time. The job made me go temporarily insane," Striker shouted.

"Insanity or not, you were right. There is nothing you can say that will change my mind. Both Thomas and Pain agree with me, too. Jack's report was very clear. Either she goes too, or the most qualified person for the job doesn't."

"Jack's dead, Ben. Can you really take a ghost seriously?" Striker said. He was getting desperate. Ben had always been a better debater than he was.

"As he's told you many times before, he's not dead. Besides, wasn't it your wife that probed his mind?" Ben began to rock his chair with his tail, a confident grin on his face.

"Yes… it's just that… I've lost my wife and my younger daughter already. I can't stand the thought of losing my eldest daughter as well…" Striker sat down and crossed his legs.

"She won't get hurt, the pup will see to that," Ben replied.

"I'm not talking about the mission, Ben. That boy is taking her from me… and there's nothing I can do to stop him."

***

Locke had held back for as long as he could, but he couldn't stand it anymore. He would just have to apologize to Grace. He'd grown so used to her Aura that he felt unbearably alone when she wasn't near him. Closing his eyes, he searched the area around him to see where she had gone. Finally, he felt her general location and focused in on that spot. Opening his eyes, he ran toward her, but slowed down as he got closer.

She was sitting on a log and seemed worried. Walking up from behind, he swung his legs over the log and sat down beside her. After a while he said, "I'm sorry…"

"So am I," she said quietly, "I shouldn't have blown up at you."

"All of his stupid prophecies were getting to me. I shouldn't have made matters worse."

"It's alright. I thought you weren't taking them seriously and they really scared me."

"Don't worry, Grace. No matter what challenge that Xatu was talking about, I promise you we can handle it," Locke said.

Grace smiled and hugged him. "Thanks… His head was funny looking though." Locke laughed and put his arm around her shoulder.

***

A lone Ralts walked slowly down a forest path lit by the soft glow of the moon. Her feet were sore and her entire body screamed at her to rest. But she couldn't rest. She had to keep moving or _he _might find her. They would figure out that the Kirlia they had grabbed wasn't her soon enough.

Feeling a chill creep down her spine she chanced a glimpse behind her and found a white, ghostly hand resting on her shoulder. Shrieking, she began to run as fast as she could. Her body exhausted from going so long without rest, she tripped and fell to the ground. Paralyzed in fear, she watched as black and purple gases began to collect and swirl around her.

Large white eyes blinked into existence and then a mouth with fangs curled into a devilish grin. "Boo!"

The Ralts buried her head in her arms as tears began to stream down her face. She'd only just escaped and now she was going to be eaten by a ghost! Sobbing, she rocked her body back in forth just wishing the eyes would disappear.

"Wait a second! Please! I didn't mean to make you cry!"

"Go away! Please, I don't want to die!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it."

Very quietly, she whimpered, "You mean… you're not going to eat me?"

"No! Of course not! I was just playing a joke."

The Ralts slowly lifted her head and looked into his concerned eyes. He seemed friendly, but she still wasn't sure. "Why would you do something so mean?" she asked.

The spirit lowered himself to her level and replied, "I don't know… It's just what ghost types do, I guess."

"It was still mean…" she said.

"I'm sorry. Let's start over then. My name's Jack. What's your name?"

"Julia…" she said, still a little afraid of him.

"Why are you out here all alone, Julia?" Jack asked.

"I ran away…"

"Do your parents know?"

"My mommy is dead and I don't who my daddy is…"

"Oh…" Jack looked away from her. He seemed like he was trying to decide something, but Julia couldn't be sure.

Sighing, he turned back to her and said, "I know two people who might be able to take care of you for a while. Would that be alright until I can find someone to take you in permanently?" Too surprised to answer, Julia merely nodded in response. "Okay, then. They're actually only a little farther up the road. They'll have made camp by now, so let's hurry. The faster we get there, the more likely they'll let you go with them."

Jack began to float down the path and Julia jumped up to follow. For the first time since her mother had died, someone was showing her true kindness.

* * *

A/N- Surprised? See the kidnapping incident had a lot more relevancethan you thought. In all honesty, I was completely surprised by Julia's appearance when I finished writing this. We got to take a look into Striker's mind a bit as well as see Ben again.

I managed to hit 300 hits today and that was before I uploaded this chapter. If only I had a suitable number of REVIEWS to match that number. *Stares intently at shotgun in corner of room* Interpret that last part however you want, but please review. The lives of the rabbits that live outside my house may depend on it... *Shotgun click heard in background*


	9. Guilt of the Beautiful

A/N- First of all, sorry for not uploading in two weeks. I assure you that this chapter was worth the wait.

A little side note; if you don't know what a Tricorn hat is, open up another window and look it up now. It fits with the time period I based this on so I sort of had to use it. Rest & Relax, Read & Review.

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Guilt of the Beautiful

"And why exactly, should we take care of her?"

Julia flinched when she heard this. So far the Kirlia had done all of the talking and she didn't seem very nice. Julia couldn't really blame her, though, since she'd been responsible for her getting kidnapped.

"It's just for a while until I can find a family to take her in," Jack said, "Come on, where's your heart?"

Jack had led her to a clearing that was real close to the road, but well hidden. That's where the two pokemon Jack had told her about were staying for the night.

"She's not our responsibility!" said the Kirlia, "You're the one who found her; you take care of her."

Julia walked away from the two. They'd been arguing for a while and she was too tired to listen any more. Her legs felt like jelly and her feet were killing her. She sat down in the grass and looked up. The Riolu sat down next to her and asked, "So you're Julia, huh?"

"Umm… yes…" Julia replied timidly.

"Well I'm Locke. It's nice to meet you. I heard you don't have anywhere to go. Is that true?"

"Yes…" Julia didn't want to talk about that. She didn't see why it mattered anyways. The Kirlia wasn't going to let her stay with them…

"Alright, then," Locke answered, "You can stay with us until Jack finds you a family. Is that alright with you?"

Julia was shocked. Tears began streaming down her face and she said, "I can really stay?"

"Of course. We can't just leave you with Jack," Locke said, "All that gas has got to be bad for you."

"What about her?" she asked, "I don't think she wants me here…"

"Don't worry about Grace. I'm sure she just wanted to argue with Jack. She'll let you stay."

Julia jumped on him and clung to him for dear life. She didn't ever want to leave him. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"It's nothing." His voice sounded calm and relaxing. So much so, that her eyes began to droop.

"Locke! What are you doing?!" Julia barely heard Grace, her fatigue finally overcoming her.

***

"I said she could stay, so she hugged me. What's wrong with that?" Locke replied.

"Bu- but… Oh fine. Jack left anyways. Something about an important message to deliver, but I think he was just dumping her on us." Grace sighed. She knew what this would mean. The Ralts was probably scared to death, so she wouldn't want to sleep alone. Her sleeping with Locke was out of the question, so that left Grace. 'Damn… I wanted to sleep with Locke, not some brat…' she thought.

"You're probably right, but don't tell her that when she wakes up," Locke said.

Grace looked down at Julia who was still wrapped around Locke's neck, but sound asleep. The Ralts was about half his height and had fallen asleep standing up. "Wow… she must be exhausted… I'll set up the sleeping bags, but she's bunking with me. If you let her stay with you, she might get the wrong idea," Grace said.

"No objections here," Locke replied.

Grace set out the sleeping bags and cursed her luck. Just when she was getting Locke used to the idea of them sleeping together, a Ralts shows up. 'She had better not form a crush on him,' she thought. Finished with their temporary beds she returned to Locke who was cradling Julia. "Aw, she almost looks cute when you hold her like that," she said, "The sleeping bags are ready."

"Thanks." He stood up and carried her over to the bag. When he tried to get her to let go, however, he had some difficulty. "Come on," he muttered, "It's time for bed." Grace snickered and used Confusion to release the little girls grip on Locke's neck. "What would I do without you?"

"Never gonna happen, so why ask?" Grace replied.

"Oh, right. I'm stuck with you."

Grace let out a "Humph" and turned away. She knew he was only kidding, but she wanted to tease him a little for it.

"Oh come on, Grace. If I had wanted to leave you, I would have by now."

"How can I believe you? You just let a girl you barely know attach herself to you like a leech and she just happens to be my pre-evolved form. How do I know you're not trying to replace me?"

"Okay, now I know you're kidding," Locke said with a skeptical look on his face.

"Well, duh."

"Although, she does seem to appreciate me more…"

"Hey! No one said you could tease back!"

Locke smirked, but changed the subject, "I'm gonna hit the hay. Be sure to not wake Julia when you go to bed."

"I'm gonna miss being next to you…" Grace muttered.

"Grace, what kind of message will it give off if she wakes up and you've got your arms wrapped around me? She might get the impression that it's _normal_ to follow some stranger around and insist upon sleeping in the same bed as them."

"Well, I guess your- Hey, wait a second!"

"Good night Grace," Locke said as the he climbed into his sleeping bag. Grace gave him a glare before following suit and slipping in next to Julia.

***

Locke woke up late into the night. The stars were bright and gave everything a soft glow. Feeling a familiar warmth against his back that hadn't been there when he fell asleep, he said, "Grace, I thought I said we couldn't do this anymore." He rolled over and his eyes went wide as he yelled, "What the heck?!" The eyes he was staring into were the same ocean blue of Grace's, but smaller. He jumped up and fell backwards onto the ground.

Julia sat up in the sleeping bag and yawned. "The sun's not even up yet," she said, "Why are you getting up?"

"Why are YOU in MY sleeping bag?" Locke said in a hushed tone, hoping Grace hadn't already woken up.

"I like you."

Locke's heart stopped beating for a moment when he heard this. 'This can't be happening,' he thought frantically, 'she's too young to be thinking about that!'

After calming himself down, he said, "Look, you can't do that anymore. It's not an appropriate thing for someone your age to do."

"But you're the only pokemon who's been nice to me since I got here…"

Locke breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't as bad as he thought it was. The damage that had been done was small. It wasn't until he heard a light snore that Locke realized she had already fallen back to sleep. 'That girl was sure a lot like Grace,' he thought, 'there isn't any way to go to sleep now, though. Might as well train…'

***

"Locke, you seem tired. Are you alright?" Just tired was an understatement. Locke's eyes were half closed and he had walked into a tree twice. They were back on the road to the Capitol, but Locke had fallen behind. Grace tried again, "Locke how early did you get up?"

"About four hours before sunrise…"

Grace stopped and looked at him, astonished. "Why?"

"I couldn't sleep… Julia decided she'd rather sleep in my sleeping bag? So I decided to train for a while… I guess I overdid it a bit…" Locke yawned and ran into an overhanging tree branch.

Grace cursed and called Julia who was still walking ahead, "Hey squirt, Locke needs to rest so get back here."

"Don't call me that!"

"Just get back here!" Grace groaned and pulled Locke to the side of the road. "We'll wait here until you feel better, okay?"

Locke sat down against a tree and said, "Just give me an hour, I'll be fine…"

About thirty minutes later, Grace began to feel someone else's emotions from a ways down the road. There were two of them… Grace focused her horns on their location in an attempt to get some more information, but didn't have much luck.

Julia was napping against the same tree as Locke which made her slightly jealous but she still hated to wake either of them; so she decided to check it out for herself. Teleporting down the road, she looked around and screamed as two large glove-like hands grabbed her around the waist. "Boss! It's Julia. She Teleported right in front of me!"

Grace looked up and saw Simon running toward her. "Well don't just stand there! Put the pendent on her before she escapes!" Finally getting a grasp on the situation, Grace's eyes glowed. Jean's hands began to shake as the Confusion attack took control of his body. There was no way she was letting him put that thing back on her _or_ Julia. No one deserved that.

Jean slowly lowered her to the ground and released his grip. "Jean, what are you doing? She's going to get away!" Simon yelled.

Grace held up her arms and lifted the Hitmonchan into the air. With a bit of effort, she flung him into a tree. "For the last time! My name is Grace!" Taking control of the Ponyta, she lifted him up into the air and smashed him into the ground. He shrieked as she walked closer to him and looked into his eyes. "Now what's my name?" she whispered.

"It's Julia! You have the exact same eyes! You have to be her!"

Julia picked him up and slammed him into the ground another time. "What's my name!?"

Simon began to whimper, but refused to change his answer, "It's Julia…" Grace repeated the action and the Ponyta screamed "It's Grace! It's Grace!"

"Now, are you going to stop chasing me and start looking for the real Julia?" she asked.

"Yes…"

"WRONG ANSWER!" she yelled, slamming him into the ground again, "You'll go home and leave her alone! Do you understand me?"

Simon's whimpering turned into sobs as he begged, "I'll do anything you want, just don't kill me!"

Grace turned around and left him to soak in his fluids as he'd apparently wet himself. She checked Jean just to be safe, but he had a large bump on his head from where he'd hit the tree. He'd be out for a while. She didn't know what had come over her and she certainly didn't like it. For whatever reason, she felt she had to make sure he never came after Julia again. 'At least I know I don't need Locke to defend me anymore…' she thought.

Down the road, she saw Locke and Julia running toward her. 'I guess I should have expected them to feel that.' Julia shrieked and hid behind Locke when she recognized Simon who was still on the ground bawling his eyes out.

Locke looked slightly better than he had before, but still seemed worn out. "Grace… What did you do?"

She smiled awkwardly and replied, "I guess I lost my temper… but he should stop chasing Julia now…"

Locke surveyed the scene and sighed. "You're well on your way to having as many enemies as I do. Let's get out of here before his bodyguard wakes up."

Julia walked out from behind Locke and asked, "Will he really stop chasing me?"

"Don't worry Julia, even if he doesn't, Locke and I will protect you, okay?" Julia responded by hugging her. "Come on. We need to get to the Capitol."

***

They'd finally made it, but Locke was on edge. There were pokemon everywhere, and any one of them could mean trouble. The Capitol was everything he'd expected it to be; crowded and smelly. It had been his idea to come here, though, and he didn't want to wait for the next election cycle to vote.

Grace and Julia on the other hand, were filled to the brim with excitement. Ever since Grace had given that beating to Simon, they'd been the best of friends.

"Oh Locke! Can we go in there? Pretty please?" Locke smiled and turned his attention back to the girls. They were staring into a shop window that had… a wedding gown? Locke sighed. He just knew this was going to be unpleasant.

"Fine, but keep in mind that we can't buy anything. We need the money to get a hotel." Both of them shrieked in delight and dragged him into the store. The next thing he knew, they were shoving different coats and hats for him to try on. They finally settled on a blue coat with a matching tricorn hat and told him to wait while they found something for Grace.

"Nice hat." Locke jumped a little at the sight of Jack, who had suddenly appeared beside him.

"Don't remind me."

"Not to big on clothes then, are you?" Jack asked.

"There just doesn't seem to be a point. You of all people should realize that."

Jack chuckled a little and said, "If it makes her happy, then I suggest you play along."

"Don't you want to hear how Julia's doing?"

"Yes, actually. How is the little tyke?"

"She's seems real happy. Her and Grace had a rough start, but when Grace made that Ponyta, Simon, pee himself, they grew a lot closer. They act almost like sisters."

Jack grinned and said, "Well I'm glad to hear that. Enough small talk, though, on to business. You might want to buy those clothes, because our current Leader has asked you and Grace to dinner."

Locke stared at Jack for a while before finally just saying, "What?"

"I work part time for the government. They wanted me to keep an eye on you so I did."

Locke smirked and said, "I was under the impression you were just creepy."

Jack ignored the comment and said, "I'll be picking you and Grace up from your hotel at seven so I suggest you look nice. Here's some money for those clothes and whatever Grace picks out." A white hand holding a bag of coins appeared and put the bag in Locke's paw. "Happy shopping!" and with that the Gastly faded into nothingness.

Locke stared at the bag of money for a while, unsure about what Jack had said. 'The Leader? What does he want with me?' Opening the bag, he almost fell over. There was more than enough to pay for the clothes as well as a hotel room.

"So Locke, do I look good? Julia insisted that it would impress you." Locke looked up and dropped the money on the floor. Grace had on a beautiful white gown that reached to just below her ankles and was laced together with green ribbon. She looked absolutely stunning.

His jaw dropped a little and he began to blush, "I-uh-I…"

Grace giggled and said, "I'll take that as a yes."

Locke shook his head and snapped back to reality. "I hope that you like that one, because we're gonna buy it."

Grace shrieked and pulled him into a hug. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why? I thought we needed the money for the hotel?"

"Jack was just here. We've apparently been invited to dine with the Leader."

Locke felt Grace's Aura spike for a split second. It was a mixture of surprise and anger, but it died down as quickly as he had felt it. "That's wonderful! I'll go get Julia so we can leave." She half skipped out of the room and left Locke still staring at her in awe. He hadn't expected her to look so… pretty.

He picked up the money he had dropped and walked up to the counter to wait for the clerk. He still couldn't shake the feeling. It was almost like… "What can I do for you?" Locke jumped. He'd been so lost in his thoughts, that he hadn't notice the Kecleon slip up behind him.

"Uhhh… Yeah. I'll be buying the clothes I'm wearing now and the gown that the Kirlia is wearing." The Kecleon gave him a skeptical look. Locke handed him the bag of money and the clerk almost fainted.

"Take whatever you need to out of there, but don't shortchange me…" Locke gave him a menacing stare to get his point across, at which the clerk nodded nervously.

***

"Can't I go? Please?" Julia whined. She had been like this for a solid hour and Grace was beginning to lose patience.

"I already told you no. This is something Locke and I have to do alone."

"Why?"

"Because we'll be meeting some very important people."

"Why?"

"I don't know Julia."

"Why?"

"Why don't you go bother Locke for a little while?" Grace sighed as Julia walked out of the bathroom. She was worried about the upcoming meeting. On top of asking him to go on a dangerous mission, her father was probably going to be there. Just thinking about it made her sick.

"Grace," Locke called, "Jack is here."

"I'll be out in a second," she called back. Grace was on the verge of breaking down. Locke would find out who she really was. What if he held it against her for not telling him…? Her stomach twisted into a knot. If she kept dwelling on this, she'd end up throwing up.

Collecting herself the best she could, she exited the bathroom in her new dress. Chances are that the money to buy it came straight from her dad, too. "Okay, I'm ready."

Jack popped up in front of her and said, "My, you look spectacular! I can't believe Locke was able to afford such an expensive dress!"

"Cut the crap," Locke said in an annoyed tone, "She already knows the money wasn't mine." He blushed when he saw her and Grace did the same when she saw him in his new clothes.

Jack grinned sheepishly and said, "I guess it doesn't really matter who bought it. Alright, then! Let's get this show on the road! I'm starving."

"Jack, could you by any chance stay here and take care of Julia?" Grace asked.

Jack frowned and sunk a little lower to the floor. "I knew I had forgotten something; a babysitter. Fine, I'll stay with her." Jack turned to Julia who was sulking in a corner. "Looks like I'm staying with you kiddo."

"I wanted to go with them…" replied Julia.

Jack laughed a little and turned back to Grace. "Get me some paper and I'll draw you a map." When Jack was done, Grace took the slip from him and grabbed Locke's paw.

"Come on, Locke. If we don't hurry we'll be late." She rushed out the door with Locke in tow. She had decided that she was going to enjoy the night for as long as she could. She half dragged him out of the hotel and pulled him down the street.

"Grace, slow down or we'll arrive too early."

Grace did as he suggested and sighed. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little nervous." 'Nervous! I'm scared to death!' she thought.

"What for?"

"We're about to meet Ben, the most well know Raichu in the entire Republic." 'Oh great, more lies. Just tell him you're dad is General Striker and get it over with!'

"Relax. Let's enjoy the walk," Locke said reassuringly, "There'll be plenty of time to be nervous once we get there."

"I know. You're right." Grace tightened her grip on his paw. 'Please don't be mad at me…'

***

Locke's stomach was turning in circles and Grace's Aura revealed she felt the same way. They were standing outside the building Jack had described to them on the slip of paper and it was an imposing structure. The mansion was just on the outskirts of the Capitol, but the property around the mansion seemed more like a thick forest.

Gulping slightly, he knocked gently. A Zangoose answered the door and frowned at Locke. He was wearing a blood red coat with white stripes and had multiple scars on his face. "Are you him?"

Locke stared into his eyes and could see a fierceness that he'd only seen in a few other pokemon. "That depends. Who's him?"

The Zangoose stared a little longer, before his eyes softened and a smile spread across his face. "It looks like Jack was right about you. You've got a spine. Come on in, both of you." He stepped out of their way and motioned for them to enter the mansion.

The inside was just as impressive as the out. They walked into a large chamber that had staircases on each side spiraling up to the second floor. There wasn't any furniture, but it only added to the spaciousness of the room. The Zangoose led them through an obscure doorway beneath the left staircase and they entered a dining hall at the center of which was a large wooden table.

The Zangoose pointed out where their seats were suppose to be and then sat down on the opposite side of the table. Locke realized that he hadn't seen anyone else the since they'd arrived.

Grace beat him to the punch and asked, "Where is everyone? Are we that early?"

"I told Jack to send you two a little early so I could talk to you alone. My name is Paine. I'm currently seeking election and I was wondering if I could talk to you a bit about the issues facing our nation."

Jack groaned. It was nothing but a bid for votes. "Look, I'll make my decision once I hear both you and the other candidate debate before the election."

"Paine! Are you actually trying to get votes out of our honored guests?" Locke turned around to see a Pikachu walk into the Dining Hall wearing only a yellow tricorn hat and sit down next to Grace. "You look exquisite, madam. May I ask you your name?"

Grace giggled at his flattery and Locke couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards the Pikachu. "Grace. And you are?"

"Thomas, at your service. I'm actually that buffoon's opponent in this election."

Paine shot him a glare and said, "At least I had the decency to not flirt with the potential voter, Thomas."

Thomas shrugged and said, "Whatever works."

Locke finally got annoyed and said, "Can someone please tell me why we're here? No one's exactly filled us in."

Pain and Thomas shared a quick glance and Thomas said, "Let's wait until Ben gets here. He really wanted to do the talking."

Locke groaned. This is what he got for agreeing to have dinner with politicians.

***

Grace's stomach was beginning to tear itself apart. Neither Ben nor her father had shown up yet, and she was getting more and more nervous as well as being very hungry. There was also a constant static resonating between Thomas and Paine. If felt like they were going to start beating the crap out of each other at any moment.

Suddenly she heard loud boisterous laughter coming from the other room and she sank into her chair. Her father and Ben burst through the dining room doors, still laughing their heads off at some inside joke. "Purugly! That never gets old," Ben shouted. Besides the underlying tension between Thomas and Paine, Grace felt Locke's emotions begin to skyrocket out of control. She turned to face him, but he was already out of his chair.

He jumped at her father twisting through the air, the coat and hat he'd been wearing flying off as he did, and crashed into the Gallade. Taken by surprise, Striker threw Locke off of him and extended his blades. With a snarl Locke used Double Team and charged forward again. Grace watched horrified as they took turns slashing and attacking.

Tears began to stream down her face as she became overwhelmed. 'This can't be happening. Make it stop…' "Please… just stop…" Grace pleaded, "STOP!!!" Both Locke and Striker froze in the positions they were in. Crying, Grace ran out of the room.

***

Coming to his senses, Striker froze. He watched as his daughter ran out of the room crying. Locke sprinted after her, before he could react. "Well that went rather well…" Ben said ironically.

Thomas and Paine were out of their seats at this point and had been backed against the wall farthest from the fighting while Ben had merely sat down at the table and waited. Thomas was the first to say something, "What the hell was that?!"

Striker sighed and said, "I sort of tracked them for a little while and we ended up fighting. He probably thought I was an enemy."

"No, I mean how the hell can he move that fast? You're the fastest fighter I know and he matched your speed," Thomas exclaimed.

"Jack seemed to understate his abilities," Paine said coolly.

"He wasn't that strong last time," Ben interrupted, "was he, Striker?"

"No…" Striker replied solemnly, "last time he wasn't protecting her…"

***

Locke had followed Grace into the woods outside the mansion. She was sobbing heavily and her Aura was in shambles. Locke stood behind her, unsure of what to do. "Grace…I-" Her sadness was hurting him more than he would have thought possible, the pain in her Aura filling him with guilt… "Grace, what-"

"He's my father!"

Locke's head was thrown into disarray. "Grace, I…" Was she talking about the Gallade?

"He's General Striker! And he's my father…" she said in between sobs, "I thought if you knew, you'd treat me differently…."

Locke grabbed her shoulders and gently turned her around. Their eyes connecting, he said, "I'll never stop caring about you, no matter what." He embraced her as she sobbed into his shoulder. When her crying had softened, he lifted her chin. The layers of dark and light blue seemed to wash over him and any doubts or regrets disappeared into the ocean of her eyes. Even now, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Their faces began to move closer together…

* * *

A/N- Mwahahahahaha!!! Cliffhanger!!! I wrote what's gonna happen already, but deliberately chose not to tell you. This what all of you get for never reviewing. It's so easy! Tell me I'm great, tell me I suck, tell me your mad I cliffhanged. Just write something!

Maybe a bribe will help (since threatening defenseless bunnies didn't). From here on out, I will post the names of anyone who reviews.

Special thanks to-

Silver Sneasel

xxxxxSilverDrumxxxxx

monkies ate my sisters

Ri2

Ketchum Kid


	10. Decisions

A/N- Finally. Again, sorry it takes me so long to write. It's even worse since I sort of ended on a cliffhanger too. Oh, well. I've hidden a small joke in this chapter, see if you can find it. You won't be able to catch it, though, unless you really know your philosophy. Rest & Relax, Read & Review.

* * *

9-Decisions

Grace could hear her heartbeat quicken. Ever since his mysterious green eyes locked with hers, she'd been entranced. Every muscle in her body screamed for her to do it; to just lean forward a few more inches. 'This is it,' she thought, 'this is what I've wanted him to do ever since he first made me that promise, that promise to never leave me alone… Everything is just like I thought it would be…' The moonlight was scattered by the trees so that there was only enough light to see his face. Her heart was beating so hard she could have sworn she felt the earth tremble…

There was an explosion of dirt and Grace fell back, landing hard on the ground. Rubbing her head, she stood up and saw a Diglett in the spot where Locke and she had been mere inches from… 'You've got to be kidding me!' she screamed in her head.

"Both of you trampled all over my garden! Didn't your parents teach you any respect for other people's property?" the Diglett scolded. Locke was standing back a ways and Grace could feel he had become embarrassed. It took every ounce of Grace's self control to keep from stomping the Diglett back into his hole.

"I mean just look at my tulips! There's a paw print in that one's petals! And my poor azaleas! How could you not notice them! They're a shrub! Do you know how hard it was to create that arrangement in this climate? It's taken me years!"

Grace finally had enough and screamed, "No one cares about your stupid flowers!" Furious, she stormed back to the mansion with Locke in pursuit.

"Grace, I…"

"Just drop it Locke. I still haven't eaten yet and they still need to ask you to join their stupid war. We'll talk about it later." When she opened the door, Paine, Ben, and Thomas all rushed away from the opening and acted guilty. "What, exactly, were you doing just now?"

Ben was the first one to recover and said, "I was just giving them a tour of the mansion. Would you care to join us? It turns out that the cook fell asleep on the job again, so we'll have to wait a little while before we can eat."

"Absolutely wonderful! It's not like I'm starving. Fine, show me the mansion." Grace could feel her anger being replaced with depression and she needed the distraction…

***

Locke watched Ben and the others walk up one of the flights of stairs and disappear into the second floor. His head down, he went into the dining room. Striker was sitting at the table, staring off into the distance. Locke sat down across from him and sighed. He couldn't make heads or tails of what had just happened. 'I almost… and she…'

"Why does it have to be so hard?" Locke banged his head against the table in frustration.

"Tables do tend to be hard." Striker replied.

Locke glared at him and said, "That's not what I meant… I just don't know what to do…"

"We all saw what happened out there. Tough luck, kid."

Locke groaned and said, "Was that really any of your business?"

"What did you expect us to do? Grace just ran out of here crying. We weren't just going to forget about her, but you handled everything just fine," Striker said.

"Some good I did," he sighed, "Now she's just angry."

"But not at you. She's just mad because she missed her perfect moment. Trust me; if there's anyone she likes right now, it's you," Striker said.

"What do you mean, 'her perfect moment?'"

"You'll figure it out. Let's move on to other things, though. Both of you were brought here for a reason…"

***

Grace fumbled nervously with her spoon. She was starving, but was so agitated she had only managed to get one spoonful into her mouth. Ben and Striker were conversing between each other while Paine and Thomas debated some election issue, but she hadn't the slightest idea what they were saying, nor did she care.

At first she'd been angry about what happened, but now she was scared. Locke had been silent the entire meal and his emotions showed he was deep in thought. 'Is he having second thoughts about us?' she thought, 'What if he decides to leave me?' She set her spoon down and excused herself from the table. This could have been the happiest night in her life, but now… everything was ruined.

All Grace could think about was how they were suddenly forced apart, moments before they… Tears began streaming down her face as she walked into the bathroom. She splashed the cool water in the basin onto her face, but it did little to cool the hot tears staining her cheeks. Giving in to her pent-up frustration, she fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands.

Weakened from hunger and exhausted from her sadness, the lights around her began to dim and darkness crept in to the corners of her vision. Then, she collapsed…

When Grace opened her eyes again it was so bright that she couldn't see anything. '…Where am I?' she thought. Everything around her was warm. The sensation was comforting… Feeling fur against her skin, she realized that the warmth belonged to Locke. "Locke, is that you?" His arms were wrapped around her and he was holding her tightly. She didn't understand what had happened, but it didn't seem to matter anymore. As long as she was with him, she didn't care…

***

"_I'm sorry. I should have been there to protect you and your brother. Just know that I'm proud of you, not ashamed."_

"Mother, is that you?" Locke felt that his cheeks were wet.

"_Don't be sad, Locke. You have someone to protect now. You have to be strong."_

"But what if I fail like last time?"

"_You never failed Locke. You had no control over what happened in the past, but you do now. When you feel lost, Locke, look to her. She was the light that guided you out of the darkness before. She will do it again. Goodbye Locke. I always have, and always will, be proud of you."_

Locke's eyes opened. He was back at the hotel and had Grace in his arms. It had been nothing but a dream…

When Grace had left the table, he had known something was wrong, so he followed her. She was so overwhelmed by what had happened she had collapsed from exhaustion. After that, he just picked her up and carried her back to the hotel. Striker had stopped him at the door for a second, but didn't say anything. Instead he stepped aside and let Locke go.

Locke had Jack take Julia for the night, undressed Grace, and placed her in the bed. Lying down, he had wrapped his arms around her and fallen asleep.

Loosening his grip, he was about get up when she said, "Please, let's just lie here a little longer…" Smiling he tightened his hold on her.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked.

"Oh, about an hour now," she responded.

"I take it you're not upset anymore?"

"No. I quit being upset as soon I realized you'd carried me all the way to the hotel."

Locke remembered his mother's words and said, "Grace, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," she said quietly. Her Aura seemed to jump in excitement.

"Should I accept their offer?" When he asked this, Locke noticed the excitement she felt was replaced with disappointment.

After a few seconds she said, "Yes, but only if I go with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

***

Grace enjoyed the comfort of his embrace for as long as she could. She still hadn't eaten anything, but she didn't want to lose the moment. Finally, however, her stomach rumbled in protest and Locke laughed. She sat up and it rumbled again.

"I forgot you haven't really eaten since lunch yesterday," he said. Getting up, he stretched and walked over to where they had left their packs. He pulled out an Oran berry. Tossing it to her, he said, "Sorry, but we're all out of Leppa berries."

Grace smiled and replied, "That's fine. I was getting sick of them anyways." Taking a large bite out of the berry, she savored the taste of it in her mouth. Realizing what day it was, she said, "Isn't the debate today? Did we miss it?"

"No, it's not till this evening. We still have plenty of time."

Grace sighed in relief, and said, "That's good. The whole reason we came here was so you could vote. How would you choose if you didn't get to hear each side's argument?"

"You're right. You'd better get up then. We still have to give Ben our answer."

Grace finished the berry and got out of the bed. "Give me a second to get ready and then we'll head out." When she was done, she grabbed his paw and they began walking to the mansion. While they were leaving the hotel, she noticed he was wearing the tricorn hat from the day before. "Are you actually wearing the hat?"

Locke blushed and said, "What? Don't you like it?"

"I love it. I just thought you hated it."

"What I hated was the coat," Locke explained, "I had to come up with a completely new move just to make sure I could get the blasted thing off in case of a fight."

"Oh… Well I do like it. Let's hope it doesn't go out of style, then."

"Let's hope…"

They were about halfway to the mansion when Locke stopped and began to look around. Grace didn't know what he was searching for, but it couldn't be a good thing. Locke grabbed her and pulled her out of the way just as a Dark Pulse fired at her from an alleyway. Even though it had missed, she could feel the dark energy tear at her mind as she screamed in pain.

After she recovered herself, Grace realized Locke was in a faceoff with whoever had attacked them. When she looked up, she gasped. The two thieves from before and that Ponyta's bodyguard had stepped out of the alley. Even Locke couldn't take on all three of them at once. Getting into to a battle stance, she readied herself for another attack.

The Croagunk attacked first and fired another Dark Pulse. Teleporting out of the way, she put some distance between her and the assailants by moving to the top of a nearby building. Focusing, she used Confusion to lift the Hitmonchan into the air. Before she could finish the attack, however, she had to break concentration and dodge a flame thrower from the Houndoom. In her attempts to avoid the jet of heat she lost her balance.

Falling off of the building, she screamed and tried to teleport to safety, but couldn't stay focused long enough to do so. Locke managed to catch her, but was hit by a Poison Sting in the process. Grunting in pain, he set her down and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just focus on the Houndoom. If you can keep him occupied, I can take out the others."

Locke grinned and said, "It sounds like a plan," before sprinting back to their enemies while using Double Team. Grace used Teleport every once in a while to make sure they couldn't keep track of her. As soon as Cain and Jean were together, she used Confusion on both of them and stopped them in their tracks. Controlling both of them was tough, so all she could manage was to keep them still.

Mark, realizing his comrades' attacks had ceased, turned toward her, but before he could open his mouth for a Flamethrower, Locke smashed a Force Palm into his skull. It was an instant KO and he fell to the ground. Grace lost her focus for a split second and Jean escaped from her attack. He ran at her, but Locke dived into his ankles and they fell into a tumbling mess.

Focusing on Cain, she lifted her palm raising him into the air. She threw him through a window of one of the nearby buildings and then pulled him back out again, tossing him like a rag doll. Grace flinched as she heard multiple bones break upon him hitting the ground.

Grace turned her attention back to Locke. He was running circles around Jean who was already beginning to show signs of swelling on his face. After several more hits, Jean just fell over. He had bruises all over his body and might have been missing some of his teeth.

Grace ran over to Locke who was breathing hard and looked like he was in serious pain. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

"It's the damn poison," he said through clenched teeth, "Can you find me a Pecha berry?"

"Sure, I think the building I broke the window out of was a restaurant." She ran into the building and was met by looks of confusion. All of the pokemon were well dressed and sitting at fancy looking tables. Too frantic to care, she found a waiter and asked, "Can you get me a Pecha berry? My boyfriend got hit by a Poison Sting…" Grace's eyes got wide when she realized the extent of her words. 'My boyfriend…?'

The waiter, a Sudowoodo, just stared at her for a second before registering what she had said. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back out holding a Pecha berry. Without saying anything, he handed her the berry.

Grace thanked him and ran back outside. A crowd of pokemon was gathering around the area, curious as to what the commotion had been about. Grabbing Locke's paw, she pulled him into an alley away from the crowd. "Here, they had one," she said.

Locke smiled and ate the berry. After a little while he grinned and said, "My boyfriend?"

Grace blushed and stammered, "I- uh… I was in a- You're supposed to be hurt! How could you hear me?"

"You said it in a _very_ loud voice."

Grace's blush got even deeper, until she noticed the hat. "I see you managed not to lose the hat."

Locke smiled and replied, "I said I liked it, didn't I?"

"So why did they attack us?" asked Grace, becoming serious.

"It looks like you managed to make yourself an enemy. Simon probably hired Cain and Mark to help Jean capture you…" Locke said sullenly.

"Oh… Well that sucks…"

***

When Locke was feeling better, they finally made their way back to the mansion. Instead of a servant answering the door, Ben opened it himself. With a large smile, he said, "I had a feeling I'd see you two today. Are you feeling any better Grace?"

"I was just tired. I'm doing much better today," Grace said cheerfully.

"Well that's good to hear. Oh, I almost forgot, Striker's here too."

'Perfect,' Locke thought, 'just the person I wanted to see.' Ben led them into the house and was chattering incessantly about what it was like before the Revolution. Locke wasn't paying much attention, since his mind was elsewhere. There was no doubt now that he wanted to spend his life with Grace. After watching her fight today, he had made up his mind. Locke was so lost in his thoughts that he let Grace and Ben get ahead of him.

"So you do like the hat, huh?"

Locke jumped about three feet into the air. "Dang it, Jack!" he yelled, "What did I say about scaring the living daylights out of me?" The Ghastly materialized in front of Locke and grinned.

"You said not to, but I always get such a scare out of you, it's worth it. So you like the hat?"

"Yes, Jack. I like the damn hat. Now why are you here?"

"I'm a member of the Secret Service. It's a secret." Jack replied mischievously.

"Just say what you came here to say."

Jack frowned and said, "You're no fun at all. Fine, I came to tell you about a hunch I got while I was taking care of Julia."

"Wait a second. Where's Julia and why aren't you with her?"

"Don't worry; she's out back causing hell for the gardener that interrupted you two's intimate moment."

Locke blushed and murmured to himself, "News sure does travel fast…"

"Now, anyways… about my hunch… I'm surprised I didn't notice it earlier, but I think Julia is Striker's daughter."

This took Locke by surprise. "You mean she's Grace's sister? How did she end up with that bastard, Simon?"

"I don't know any details," Jack said, "but I'm looking into it now. I'll see what info I can scrounge up."

"Well thanks for filling me in… Oh crap…" Locke put his paw to his face.

"What is it?" Jack said; his goofy smile still spread across his face.

"I just realized… If you're a member of the Secret Service… than we're going to be team mates… and you'll be my superior…"

Jack stared blankly at Locke for a second and then burst out into laughter. His body faded with him still laughing hysterically. The laugh lingered for a while after he completely disappeared, but it eventually ceased. Locke sighed. He was going to have to work under that buffoon… The very thought of it gave him chills…

Locke found Ben and Grace in a comfortable sitting room. A small fire was crackling in a brick fireplace next to the chairs. Grace was sitting on a two person sofa across from Ben who was in a specially made armchair with a hole in the seat for his long tail. "So where did you run off to?" Ben asked.

"Jack showed up," Locke replied, "he had something he needed to tell me." Locke took a seat next to Grace and blushed slightly. The couch sunk in a little at the middle, causing him and Grace to slide closer together. Based on Grace's Aura, she was enjoying it, though…

Ben leaned forward slightly in his chair and asked, "So what's your answer? Will you do it?"

"Yes, we'll both do it," Grace answered before Locke had a chance to.

Ben let out a hearty laugh and said, "Then it's settled. Now, Locke, do you already have a bank account?"

"No, since I'm on more than a few hit lists, having one would just make me easier to track."

"True, true… but we have to pay you… and it's not very convenient for you to just carry around all the money…" Ben mumbled as he tried to think of a solution. "I've got it. Grace doesn't have any enemies yet. We'll set up the account in her name."

"Well I do," Grace said, "but I've only managed to make one so far…"

"Excellent. We'll negotiate your salaries later, but for now, I'm starving. I'll have the chef make us some lunch," Ben said as the Raichu hopped out of his chair.

Locke turned to Grace. "I forgot to tell you, Julia's in the garden out back."

Grace squealed in delight and said, "I'll go see if I can find her." She ran out of the room and Locke laughed a little to himself. Grace was certainly feeling better than she was last night.

"Ben, do you know where Striker is right now? I need to speak with him."

"Oh, he's in the library. Take the north stairway. The hallway goes right there."

***

Striker was browsing through the library's shelves. Finding a pamphlet he wanted, he took it out and dusted it off. The cover read, **Two Treatises of Government**. He'd been meaning to read this when he got the chance. The pamphlet was old and the author's name was no longer visible.

Sitting down at a nearby desk, he opened it and began to read. Upon hearing the door open, however, he looked up to see Locke entering the room. Striker set the pamphlet down and waited for Locke to say something. He seemed nervous and uncomfortable.

"I… uh… I was meaning to ask you something…" Locke stumbled.

Striker smiled. He had a pretty good idea what this was going to be about. "Well, out with it then," he said in a harsher tone than necessary. He liked to mess with people's heads every once in a while.

Locke shifted his weight onto his other leg under his commanding voice and continued, "I would like to ask for permission to court your daughter… I'll do anything I have to in order to prove myself," he quickly added.

Striker let out a loud, jovial laugh. "Of course you can court her! She absolutely adores you and you've already proven yourself capable of protecting her. It's not like I could stop you if I wanted to anyways. Grace would rip me to shreds if I said no."

Locke brightened up and said, "Thank you, sir," before excitedly running out of the room. Striker chuckled to himself. 'Was I that nervous when I asked Serenity's father for permission to court her?' Striker's grin turned to a sad smile. He missed her a great deal, but she lived on in her daughters. He didn't even know the name of his second one yet, but he knew he'd find her someday…

***

"Julia!" Grace called, "Where are you?" Grace was in the beautifully sculpted garden outback. Pathways weaved their way around trees and bushes which had all been carefully sculpted to fit together while still maintaining an air of naturalness. The plants were all gorgeous and must have taken great skill and care to maintain. She almost felt guilty for ruining that Diglett's arrangement the night before, but she quickly got over it when she remembered what had _almost_ happened.

Julia was definitely in the garden somewhere, but she seemed like she was all over the place. Sighing, she sat down under the shade of a large oak tree. Locke had been real nice to her ever since last night, but he seemed hesitant to try anything. It frustrated Grace to no end.

Locke falling asleep while holding her had probably been an accident, too… She wanted to break all of the barriers between them, but that would never happen if he wasn't willing. Closing her eyes, she imagined what it would be like. 'Me and Locke together…' she thought. Allowing the happy thoughts to fill her mind, she laid herself down and began to doze.

When Grace opened her eyes again, Locke was lying next to her. He smiled and said, "Did you have pleasant dreams?"

"How long have I been out?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Oh, not long," Locke replied, "but lunch is ready." Grace became confused. This morning he seemed cheerful although a little nervous, but now he was glowing with happiness.

"Did I miss something here? You're in a really good mood."

Locke just grinned even wider and said, "You'll find out soon enough… Where's Julia? I thought you came out here to find her."

"Well I did, but I can't seem to get a fix on her location. It's like she's all over the place."

"That's because I am!"

Grace jumped to her feet and screamed. Julia was in the tree above them. "How long have you been up there?" she yelled.

"About two seconds. I learned how to use Teleport." Julia smiled with pride at her accomplishment. "Jack told me I should practice randomly appearing in places like he does."

Locke groaned when he heard this and mumbled, "Just great. Now there are two of them."

"We're all proud of you, Julia, but it's time for lunch," Grace said, "Aren't you hungry?"

"Yippee!" Julia yelled, "I'll race you there!" and then disappeared in a blue flash of light.

"Something tells me we shouldn't let Jack babysit anymore…" Locke said.

Grace rubbed her temples and replied, "Something tells me you're right…"

***

Large fires were lighting up the stage. It was furnished with two podiums where the contestants were fighting tooth and nail for the support of the people…

"Don't you see the errors in your own theory? A central bank will do nothing but limit the rights of the citizens!" shouted Thomas.

"How can we just stand by and let a major depression take hold of the country!?" Paine yelled back, "With a central bank, we'd have the power to prevent just that!"

"Listen to what you're saying! The more power this government has, the worst off the nation will be."

"And that's time," said an Alakazam who was acting as the moderator, "We will take a short break and then finish up with the closing statements."

Locke had been listening to the debate with great interest. They'd been at it for an hour now. This was the only real matter they disagreed on, but it was important.

"Locke, I don't understand," Grace whispered to him, "What's so wrong with having a central bank if it can prevent a depression?"

"Well, a central bank might be able to prevent a depression," Locke answered, "but there's also a chance it could do nothing or make things even worse. On top of that, it would put a ton of power into the hands of the government and that's something the founders wanted to prevent from the start."

"But what's wrong with a government being powerful if it's going to help the citizens?"

"There's always a chance the government might become oppressive and stop serving the people, but if you keep a government small, it's harder for that to happen."

"How do you know all of this?" Grace asked.

Locke smiled and said, "I read a lot of philosophy when I was traveling with John. That's enough debate for one night, though."

***

"Aren't we going to stay for the closing statements?" Grace asked. Locke had been paying close attention all night, but now he seemed more excited about the idea of the debate ending. She didn't understand.

"No, I've made up my decision." Locke took her hand and led her out of the crowd. Slightly disappointed, Grace followed him. She had heard they were going to shoot fireworks off at the end of the debate. As if reading her mind, Locke said, "Don't worry, we aren't going to miss anything."

Once they were clear of the other pokemon, Locke led her up a large hill. At the top, he sat down in the grass facing towards the stage. Grace sat next to him still confused as ever. His emotions hardly told her anything. 'He's excited and nervous,' she thought, 'but over what? Is it the fireworks? No, why would he be nervous about that?'

They sat there for ten minutes, before they heard applause coming from the crowd below them. Paine and Thomas must have finished their closing statements. All at once, columns of light hissed into the air and exploded into starbursts of light. The colors filled Grace with awe. "It's so beautiful," she whispered.

Grace became startled when Locke's paw turned her face towards his. Her heartbeat pressed hard into her chest and her breathing quickened. "Yes… you are." Locke leaned closer and whispered, "I love you…" before closing the distance between them completely and kissing her. What seemed like hundreds of fireworks went off in a huge finale over the stage, but Grace didn't see them. Her eyes closed and she wrapped her arms around Locke. After so long, they were finally, truly together…

* * *

A/N- And you thought it wasn't going to happen... Well it did. Please point out any errors I missed or tell me I didn't make any_ in a review!_ Come on people! I shouldn't have to ask this much! I guarantee that if I get a sizeable amount of reviews, I'll update in a week instead of two. *Sighs...*

Special thanks to:

**Silver Sneasel** (I couldn't have done it without you. ^_^)

**xxxxxSilverDrumxxxxx **

**monkies ate my sisters**

**Ri2**

**Ketchum Kid**


	11. Unexpected Events

A/N- I know it's been forever since my last update, but suck it up. I've actually got a legitimate list of excuses this time: AP tests, Graduation coming up, procrastinative tendencies, sheer laziness, a REALLY bad cold, and allergies. There. Just to catch you up on what happened in the last chapter, Locke kissed Grace under the fireworks and she got her perfect moment back.

Read & Review, Rest & Relax

* * *

Unexpected Events

"Are you ready to go?" Locke was ecstatic. The debate the night before meant that today was the day he finally got to cast a ballot. There was also the fact that he'd kissed Grace last night and that contributed heavily to the way he felt.

"Okay, I'm all washed up. Why are you in such a hurry? The voting doesn't start till noon." Grace said.

"I'm excited. This will be the first time I've ever gotten to vote," Locke lied. That was half true, but he also had some other plans. Grabbing his hat off the coat rack, he put it on and opened the door allowing Grace to step through first. No, today he was taking Grace on their first actual date. It was ironically the same restaurant they'd fought in front of the day before. If they were lucky, no one would remember it had been them that blasted out the windows…

"I know you're not telling me everything," Grace said after they'd left the hotel.

Locke grinned and replied, "I figured I couldn't hide it, but just wait a little longer. I want it to be a surprise."

Grace brightened up and took hold of his paw. "You're taking me on a date!" she exclaimed, "That has to be it. Where are we going? When did you find time to pick a place?"

Locke stopped and looked at her, his mouth dropping a little. "How did you…?"

"It _is_ a date! Come on, let's go," Grace shouted in delight. She pulled on his paw and began to drag him down the street. "So where is it?" Locke just pointed in the direction of the restaurant, still a little shocked she figured it out so quickly. Grace continued to lead him to the exact restaurant he'd been thinking of. She stopped at the door and said, "This is the place right?" Locke nodded and she pulled him in.

When they had been seated, Locke got over his astonishment and asked, "So how did you know it was here?"

"I don't know. I just figured it was here. Why'd you choose this place anyways?" she replied.

"I'm not really sure myself." Locke shrugged. As he said this, the waiter came to take their order and Grace seemed to shrink into her seat. The Sudowoodo looked back and forth between the two of them and grinned.

"So is this the boyfriend you were so desperate to save?" he asked.

Locke laughed and said, "Yes, I am. I hope the damages we caused weren't too extensive."

The Sudowoodo frowned and said, "So it was you who beat those other three to a bloody pulp?"

Locke saw the waiter's Aura fluctuate for a second, but he couldn't decipher its meaning as well as he did Grace's. "Is that a problem?" Locke asked realizing they probably shouldn't have left so suddenly after the fight.

The Sudowoodo changed his tone, though, and became cheerful again. "Not a problem at all. I'm sure they had it coming to them. Now what would you like to eat?"

Grace was beginning to get a bad feeling. Emotions that she made out to be fear and suspicion had been emanating from the kitchen ever since the waiter had taken their orders. "Locke… I think we might have some sort of problem…" Grace whispered.

"Yeah, I know. We've been reported to the police or if we haven't we will be soon," Locke said, his annoyance easily noticeable to Grace.

"So what do we do?"

"We let things play out. If we run, they'll only think we're guilty. Let them arrest us. We'll clear this up without any hitches… hopefully." Just as he finished, a Wartortle with a star on the front of his shell walked into the restaurant. After scanning the room his gaze settled on their table. He frowned and slowly walked towards them. Grace sunk into her seat. Something about him seemed threatening.

"I'm here to take you in. You've caused enough trouble," he said with a snarl on his face to Locke.

"I haven't caused anything," Locke replied, "Get your facts straight." Grace was amazed at how easily Locke kept his cool. He didn't seem fazed by the officer at all.

The Wartortle's face grew red as he got angry and yelled, "You just shut up! You're coming with me!"

Locke stood up and held out his paws in submission. "I never said I wasn't. I'm just a little pissed you're interrupting our date." Locke turned back to Grace and said, "Go over to Ben's house. I won't be long."

"Shouldn't I get somebody to help?" Grace asked. She knew she shouldn't be worried, but the thought of Locke going to jail scared her.

"If you happen to see Jack tell him, but don't worry about it anymore than that."

Grace nodded and then watched as the Wartortle pushed Locke out the doorway.

"You know… you haven't told me your name yet."

"I don't think you deserve to know." Disgust was dripping from the lawman's voice.

"From my point of view I'm innocent, so I think I do," Locke replied.

"Fine, whatever. My name's Tyler." Tyler pushed Locke a little to make him walk faster.

"Easy, I'm sore as it is. So are you the sheriff?"

"Yes."

"Now on what charges _exactly_ are you taking me in for. I have a right to know that much."

"I'll tell you at the station. I have no respect for dirt bags like you."

"Really? Most lawmen dislike me, but you're the first that hates me."

"Just shut up. You'll be charged once we get a positive ID." Tyler pushed him again.

"Fine." Locke made note of every turn they made. The Capitol was big and even though he could find his way around using Aura, it'd be faster if he paid attention now. When they arrived at the station, Locke focused his Aura and grinned. He counted four weak spots in the walls he could exploit if needed. The jail cells were poorly built and the hinges weren't very strong. Tyler led him into the jail and pushed him in. This wasn't the first time he'd been in jail and every time he had been, the charges ended up being dropped.

After locking the cell behind him, Tyler left the room. Locke leaned back on the far wall and shuddered as a chill went down his back. "Jack, you there?"

Purple gasses collected inside the cell with the familiar eyes and mouth appearing at the center. "Yeah, I'm here," Jack said frowning, "You're getting better at sensing me. It makes things a little less fun."

"I just felt annoyed so I knew you must be near," Locke joked. "Anyways, do you know what charges they have on me?"

"Nope, I'm in the dark. I could have found out, but I got tired of stalking the deputies," Jack replied.

Locke sighed and said, "Oh well. You stalked us for the last two months so you should be able to clear me of any recent charges. I'd appreciate it if you stuck around."

Jack's grin got wider and he said, "You need _my _help? I do have a fee you know."

Locke smiled back and replied, "How about I don't tell Grace you just said that?"

Jack's frown disappeared. "Yeah, that'd probably be good. I saw what she did to that Croagunk…"

"Who the hell are you!" shouted Tyler as he reentered the room.

Jack phased through the bars and said, "I'm _your_ superior." A white hand with a badge appeared in front of the Wartortle's face. "And more importantly, as of yesterday, so is he." A second ghostly hand pointed to Locke.

"That's bullshit!" yelled the Wartortle his face becoming red again.

"Take that up with the head of state. Now, tell me what charges you have against him."

"He abused a young girl and then framed her. There's also the assault charges brought against him yesterday! He's nothing but scum!"

Locke busted out laughing when he heard this. "Did Serena get transferred here? And _you_ were gullible enough to believe her over the sheriff in Orsa? Please tell me you didn't let her go, too!"

"Quit lying! I saw the scars you gave her! There weren't any witnesses of her attacking you!"

Jack broke in and said, "That's because she didn't attack him. She attacked another girl out of jealousy. That girl gave her those injuries in self defense. I know because I was watching them in search of possible recruits. There's your witness. Now release him so I don't have to go to my superior and inform him about your incompetence."

"And who exactly is your superior?"

"Ben, President of our nation."

"That's still bullshit!" screamed the sheriff.

Locke turned to Jack and whispered, "So they finally decided on a title?"

"Congress just passed the bill this morning. They figured two leaders without an official title was an embarrassment and they didn't want to have a third."

"Have they decided on a name for the country yet? It's been how long since we got our independence?"

Apparently angry that he was being ignored Tyler shouted, "That's enough! A fake badge doesn't mean anything. Do you really think I'm that gullible?"

Locke and Jack both replied, "Yes," in perfect unison before busting out laughing.

"Shut up! No one short of Ben himself could convince me both of you are my superiors!"

"How about me then?" Striker said as he walked into the room. Tyler stood for a second stunned.

"Si-Sir! What brings you here?" the sheriff said timidly.

"A personal request from my daughter. Locke and Jack are indeed your superiors and I'm positive Locke isn't guilty."

"But sir- the girl- and then the attacks yesterday- and…" Tyler's face was white as a sheet. Locke, deciding he was tired of waiting, smashed the jail cell door off of its hinges. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm testing the strength of these cell doors. When I round up Serena again, I want to be sure she stays contained. She's dangerous. Now I suggest you get that fixed or you're fired."

Serena cursed her luck. She'd managed to sweet talk that idiot sheriff into letting her go, but it didn't seem like she'd be able to finish Grace off like she'd planned. The Dratini slithered closer through the bushes doing the best she could to keep her emotions in check. As long as that Gallade was around, she'd never be able to attack Grace…

After a few seconds of waiting, a grin crept its way across her face. The Gallade was leaving which meant Grace would be vulnerable. She would pay for all of the humiliation and suffering she'd caused her. Most of all… she would pay for leading Locke astray. 'I will kill her… slowly… and Locke will be mine… all mine…'

Grace stiffened. She had known Serena was nearby ever since her father had left to help Locke, but she had no idea the serpent was as close as she was. Staying calm, she tried to analyze the situation. 'What would Locke do? …He'd protect me, but he isn't here right now… I know I can beat her if I just don't lose my cool. That's what Locke would do. He'd keep himself in control…' Grace breathed deeply and focused harder.

Every little thing became a distraction. The wind rustling the leaves in the bushes, the warmth of the morning sun, everything tried to gain her attention. Smells of rose bushes and damp soil assaulted her nose. She'd wanted so hard to forget about Serena that her sensors refused to locate her. Trying again, she blocked out every unnecessary sense she could. '… There…' Using Confusion, she dragged the Dratini out from under a bush. "You couldn't just leave us alone, could you?"

Serena shrieked and squirmed in response. "Let me down you witch! You took my Locke away from me and I'll kill you for it!"

Grace slammed Serena into the dirt with a twitch of her palm. "Now let me share a secret with you. Locke likes me, not you and is even courting me right now. He never liked you and he's disgusted by you very presence!"

"Shut up witch!"

Swinging her arms sideways she smashed her into a nearby tree. "Oh I'm sorry. I'm so clums-" Grace was cut off by a jet of blue flames that erupted from Serena's mouth. Doing her best to dodge, Grace winced as some of the flames nicked her sides. Serena didn't waste any time and fired another Dragon Rage at her.

Grace used Teleport just before the flames reached her and breathed a sigh of relief. Before Serena could figure out where she was, Grace collected the leaves around her, preparing to end the battle. Filling the mass with as much energy as she could, Grace fired the Magical Leaf at what she thought was Serena. Her eyes widened when the Dratini disappeared with a cloud of smoke upon contact. 'Substitute…'

Serena wrapped her body around Grace and sunk her teeth into her shoulder. A Dragon Rage erupted from Serena's mouth again, severely burning Grace's arm. Screaming in pain, Grace Teleported away and moved to a safe distance. Hiding behind a tree, she breathed deeply trying to stay calm. Blood was flowing down her arm from the wound in her shoulder. If this didn't end soon…

Another jet of blue flames erupted around the sides of the tree. Teleporting again, Grace was barely able to travel a few yards. Grace stumbled forward and fell on her shoulder. The pain was excruciating. Sensing Serena behind her, she began to desperately crawl forward, too weak to Teleport again.

A blood curdling scream pierced the air around her. Grace slowly looked over her good shoulder and relief flooded every fiber of her being at what she saw. Serena was unconscious with half of her body buried in a large crack in the earth. Following the Fissure to its source, Grace recognized the gardener. Looking in her direction, the Diglett smiled and shouted, "She burned up my rose bush!"

Grace fell back onto the soft grass, the blood coming from her shoulder dyeing it a deep crimson. She was exhausted and she hadn't even won. The adrenaline wearing off, Grace gasped as the fiery pain in her shoulder got even worse.

"You should probably get that looked at." The gardener had popped its head up next to where Grace was laying. Grace just groaned in response. The grass was comfortable and inviting, but the pain from the bite was getting worse. Moaning, Grace sat up and nodded.

"Sorry about your azaleas…" she whispered.

"It's fine," he replied. "Sorry it took me so long to jump in and help. I guess I just got cold feet."

Grace frowned and thought, 'Cold… _**feet**_?'

"Come on now. Stand up. Blood loss isn't good for you or the plants. Go get yourself fixed up. I'll watch psychopath here until help comes." Grace nodded again. The gardener popped back into his hole and disappeared into the soil.

Grace struggled to get up. The pain in her shoulder was spreading to the rest of her arm. She slowly and painfully made her way back to the mansion, too tired to ask if the old saying applied literally to the Diglett.

"Oh come on! They needed to be replaced. The hinges were so weak a child could have broken out!" Locke rubbed his temples in annoyance.

Striker sighed and said, "That may be so, but you still have to pay for the cells." Locke, Striker, and Jack were all heading back to the mansion in order to rendezvous with Grace.

"I was just pointing out an obvious flaw in the Capitol's jail system."

Jack floated upside down in front of Locke's face and said, "And for that, the Republic thanks you, but you still have to pay."

Locke sighed and said, "Fine. How much?"

"The only things that broke were the hinges so four gold pieces should be enough." Locke took off his hat and removed four coins from a pouch he'd sewn into to the hat the night before and tossed them to Jack. "This is robbery…" he muttered to himself. Deciding to change the subject, he asked, "So Jack… have you told him about Julia yet?"

The Ghastly's purple hue became noticeably paler as if blood was draining from his face. "I- uh- haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Tell me what about Julia?" Striker asked.

"I'll tell you later…"

Locke gave Jack a puzzled look, but shrugged it off. The subject obviously bothered him so he dropped it.

When the trio reached the mansion, Locke tried to think of some way to make things up to Grace. He'd have to do something before they left town in a couple of days to start their mission. Locke's thoughts were stopped in their tracks when he noticed Grace's Aura. She was in pain… Bolting into the mansion, Locke ran up one of the staircases and found her resting in a guest bedroom with bandages across her shoulder. "Grace! Are you okay? What happened?"

"Oh… hey Locke," Grace replied. She winced in pain as she tried to sit up. "Serena showed up."

Locke cursed under his breath and sat on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"

"Same thing as last time except I couldn't handle her alone. Joe stepped in and knocked her out…" Grace replied weakly, "I guess I still need a little practice…"

"Wait… Who's Joe?" Locke asked.

"Remember the Diglett that got so pissed off when we trampled his azaleas? Serena burned his rose bush with a Dragon Rage."

"Oh… How bad did she hurt you?"

"She just gave me a nasty bite supplemented with a Dragon Rage. Ben says it'll heal eventually…"

"Sorry I wasn't here for you…" Locke stared at his paws and tightened them. He felt terrible. If he'd been there to help her, this wouldn't have happened. 'Maybe mother was wrong…' Locke thought.

"Stop it right now!" Grace shouted suddenly, making Locke jump. "I know what you're thinking and it isn't true! There's no possible way for you to protect me every hour of every day." Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I'm still here, aren't I? I'm still here…" Grace's Aura swirled violently as her emotions took over. She turned away from Locke and began to sob into her pillow.

Locke wrapped his arms around her and Grace responded by crying into his shoulder. After a few minutes she said, "I thought she was going to kill me…"

Locke tightened his grip around her. "I know… I'm sorry…"

"You've known for how long and you haven't told him yet!" Ben yelled with static escaping from the sacks on his cheeks.

"I wanted to tell him, b-but the situation changed!" Jack replied. The two of them were in the garden watching Tyler cart off Serena. The short amount of time it took him to arrive was remarkable.

"What could have possibly changed? She's _his_ daughter and _he_ seems to be the only one who doesn't know about it!" Ben massaged his cheeks in an effort to keep himself calm. He had enough pent up electricity to incinerate half the garden if he lost too much control. "Okay. I'm going to start over. Tell me _exactly_ why you haven't told Striker that Julia is his lost daughter."

Jack sunk to the ground and incoherently mumbled an answer.

"Damn it Jack! I'm old so speak up."

"I'm afraid of how she'll react…" Jack said quietly.

"What do you mean by that? Won't she be overjoyed to find out she has a father?"

"I don't know anymore!" Jack yelled. "The last couple of nights that I've been taking care of her, she's broken down at the very idea she might meet her father. I mentioned it and she just stopped. It's like she freezes or something! I don't know what to do!"

"Jack, I know you're worried, but you have to take her to Striker at some point," Ben replied with a more understanding tone.

"I know," Jack said quietly. "I know…"

"Locke… if you don't go soon, you won't be able to make the ballots in time." Grace hated to make him leave, but she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if he missed this opportunity. He had held her for a long time and the pain in her shoulder seemed to be less severe as a result.

"I don't have to go if you don't want me to…"

"Of course I don't want you to leave, but for now, a promise that you'll come back will be enough." Grace pushed him away from her and stared into his deep green eyes. "I'll be fine. Now go."

Locke smiled at her and gave her a short kiss before leaving the room. It left a small tingle on her lips that seemed to push the pain in her shoulder to the back of her mind as if it was nothing but a dull ache. Content, she leaned back on her pillow and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Julia was staring at her upside down while floating in mid air. Julia said, "Hi."

Proud and slightly annoyed that she had mastered levitation before she had, Grace asked, "Why are you floating upside down?"

Julia beamed a smile of pride at her accomplishment and answered, "I saw Jack doing it so I copied him." Slowly, Julia righted herself and lowered her body to the floor. "I'm not very good at staying like that, though…"

Grace smiled and said, "Don't worry honey. You're doing fine. Is there something that you needed?"

Julia frowned and quickly said, "Yeah, Jack's been acting weird and he said something about my father and then he started sniffling and then he said not to worry and to forget he said anything and now I'm confused…"

Grace stared at the Ralts for a second. Julia had said it so fast that it took a while for her mind to catch up. 'Did Jack figure out for sure who Julia was?' she thought. 'I wonder if she's related to me and Daddy somehow…'

Grace said, "I'm not sure what that means, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Jack is always acting weird."

Julia yawned and crawled beneath the covers next to Grace. "Can I take a nap next to you? I'm sleepy and that stupid cook hasn't even started dinner yet. If he doesn't hurry up, I'm gonna scare him like Jack would…"

"You really look up to Jack, don't you?"

"Yeah…" was all the answer Grace got before Julia dozed off. It must have been an exciting day for her. Thankful she had lain down next to Grace's uninjured side; Grace snuggled up to her and smiled. She was definitely no Locke, but it was nice none the less…

Grace slipped into a light sleep and before she knew it, several hours had passed. Locke was due home soon which was enough to wake her up on its own. Trying her best to sit up without hurting her shoulder or waking Julia, Grace heard a large bang downstairs and froze. She couldn't sense anyone, but heard a large number of footsteps downstairs. Increasing her focus, Grace scanned the mansion as thoroughly as she could, but could only find Ben who seemed to be worried about something and the slow minded cook who hadn't noticed anything at all.

Slowly, she heard steps coming down the hallway until they paused outside her door. The doorknob slowly began to turn. The door rapidly flew open and Grace saw a flash of movement before blacking out…

"So who did you vote for?" Jack was bobbing his body up and down around Locke's head.

"I'm not obligated to tell you anything Jack." Locke tried his best to tune out his persistent pleas as they walked back to the mansion. Although he was happy he got to vote, Locke couldn't help but feel something was off. Becoming worried, he began to quicken his pace.

"Can't wait to make out with her again, can you? You sure are one lucky Riolu." Jack teased.

"Shut up, Jack. Something's wrong."

Jack became serious and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I can feel numerous Auras around the mansion and all of them seem to be either panicked or vicious." Locke closed his eyes and broke into a sprint, using his second sight to lead him. He could faintly feel Grace's Aura too, and she was terrified. Focusing on her, Locke urged as much of his strength into his legs as he could. As they approached the mansion, smells of smoke became noticeable and when they finally reached it, they found it engulfed in flames…

* * *

A/N- Sorry about the cliff hanger after taking so long to update, but that's really the best place to stop it. The first person who can figure out what American historical event I based the burning mansion off of gets an honorable mention... Please Review!

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far:

**xxxxxSilverDrumxxxxx**

**Ketchum Kid**

**Ri2**

**monkies ate my sisters**

**Silver Sneasel**

**Imagination Domination**

**lupyne**

**ShadowTeam**


	12. New Friends and Enemies

A/N- New update! I'm on vacation and I ended up writing a pretty long chapter. Unfortunately, the large amount of water and sand kept me from putting it up... Okay, I'll stop lying. I am on vacation and I am at the beach, but I've been watching a lot of online anime instead of posting this new chapter. Sorry. ^_^' Anyways, because my stupid computer downgraded my Microsoft Word program to a trial version, it's not letting my upload the file with my typical "Three Star Break" system that I'd been using to indicate scene changes so instead I'm using line breaks. It makes me a little mad actually since I sort of thought of the three stars as a signature. Anyways, Double R&R. Read & Review, Rest & Relax...

* * *

11-New Friends and Enemies

"GRACE!" Locke yelled as he ran through the forest. Thunder could be heard overhead as storm clouds began to gather in the skies above. The light was dimming so he relied on the remnants of Grace's Aura to stay on the trail. "GRACE!" When Locke had finally put together what had happened, he had tracked her into the woods surrounding the burnt up mansion. He didn't know who they were, but they had taken both Grace and Julia. Tears began to drip down his face. He had failed. He had promised to protect her and he had failed.

Locke pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. This wasn't the time or place. Focusing on the trail, he urged his feet to go faster. With another clap of thunder the clouds opened up and large drops of water began to pelt his body. It wasn't long before his fur was completely soaked.

In an effort to stay calm, Locke went over everything he knew about the attackers. 'The gardener that saved Grace from Serena described them as extremely fast and put their numbers at around four or five. Ben was knocked out almost immediately following them breaking into the mansion, but instead of kidnapping him, they had rushed upstairs afterwards and…'

Locke had to hold himself together as he continued cataloguing the information. 'Grace and Julia were taken. Slash marks were on the doors of the mansion. Although the mansion caught fire, the pattern of the blaze spread from inside the house and was slow to start which meant it wasn't intentional, but an accident…' Locke's thoughts reached a standstill and he finally decided to just focus on the trail. He wouldn't let them escape and he would save her.

* * *

Thompson yawned and drew circles in the dirt with his bone. He didn't really understand why Striker had told him to wait here. The entire time, he had been acting frantic which was rare for someone like him. Smoke had been rising from the general direction of the Presidential mansion which meant something serious was going on, but he had no idea what.

So here he was, a lone Cubone in the middle of a forest at around midnight waiting for someone with no description of what they looked like or any details of what he should do when that person got there. It made him a little annoyed just thinking about it. 'The Secret Service recruits me for who knows what reason and on my first mission I'm given almost no information on what I'm supposed to do,' he thought. Thompson sighed and leaned against a tree. 'To make matters worse, it's starting to storm.'

The rain began to drench the area around him and Thompson groaned in disgust. He hated storms. He hated rain in general, but he really hated storms. He flinched as a bolt of lightning struck the ground less than a mile away. Lightning always frightened him which put him on the receiving end of most bullying back home. Lightning could never hurt him, but it scared him none the less… 'One of my many quirks, I suppose…'

Lost in his thoughts, Thompson almost didn't notice the figure appear in the distance moving at an incredible speed. This was probably who he'd been instructed to wait for so he walked out from under the shelter that had been keeping him relatively dry and stood in the figures path, leaning on his bone. As it got closer, Thompson recognized it as a Riolu. He'd heard rumors about a Riolu with close ties to General Striker being recruited right after he joined and this appeared to prove them.

The Riolu slowed to a stop, tipping his hat back to see more clearly and to direct the heavy rainfall over his shoulders. His eyes were a dark shade of green that seemed to blend in with the forest around him and emanate a sense of desperation. 'He has multiple, faded scars and a stance that suggests he knows how to fight with the best of them. Yet he's young, as young as me in fact, and young enough to still act on impulse and in a rash manner.'

Thompson sighed again as he put all the details together. 'All of this points to one irrefutable fact. This Riolu is dangerous and he's going to make my job, whatever that job happens to be, that much harder.' "So now what?" Thompson asked.

"You mean you don't know?" the Riolu snarled.

"I was just ordered to wait here until someone showed up. They didn't give me any details." Thompson quit leaning on his bone club as a precaution and put it into a ready position. He didn't know how someone looking so desperate would react. This proved to be the wrong decision, however, as the Riolu noticed it immediately and steadied his breathing in preparation for conflict. He seemed highly skilled and it worried Thompson to think about the possibility of a fight with him.

"I can only suggest you get out of my way before I crush that skull you're wearing into tiny pieces. I don't have the time or the patience." Upon finishing his warning, he launched himself forward at an incredible velocity. Thompson reacted quickly and braced himself for the attack. The Riolu drove his shoulder into him causing his feet to slide against the ground as he was pushed back a few feet. "Move! Damn it! I don't have time to fight you!"

"I would have, but this is all I had time to do! Now back off so we can figure out what the hell is going on!" Thompson yelled over the rumble of the thunder. "I'm an agent of the Secret Service and I have no idea why I've been sent out here. First things first, what's your name?"

The Riolu quit pushing when he heard this and took a few steps back. "Locke…"

Thompson leaned on his bone and rubbed his aching forearms. 'The fact he was able to do so much damage without the intention to kill me is simply amazing,' Thompson thought. "I'm Thompson. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I've heard rumors that a Riolu was being recruited, Locke. Is that you?"

"Yes," Locke replied, sounding rather restless.

"Good. I was hoping I wouldn't have to fight you. Now what is your mission?"

"Mission? I don't have a mission! Look, it's great that you're not an enemy, but I really don't have the time!" Locke yelled. "If you want to know what I'm doing so badly, then you'd better be able to keep up." With this, Locke jumped over Thompson and took off again at a hard run.

Groaning in annoyance, Thompson ran after him. 'This mission is looking more and more troublesome with each passing moment… And it's still raining…'

Locke was surprised the Cubone could keep up with him, granted he wasn't running full speed and Thompson was tiring quickly. Thompson surprised him even more when he not only caught up with Locke, but was able to ask the questions Locke had been too impatient to answer before. 'If anything, this will keep my mind occupied…'

"Okay… So if this isn't an official mission for you… what are you in such a hurry to do?" Thompson asked in between breaths.

"The mansion was attacked and they… and they took her…" Locke swallowed his emotions in a painful gulp.

"So you're… looking for someone… How is the President?" Thompson asked.

"A little bruised with a slight concussion, but he'll be fine," Locke replied, thankful he had changed the subject.

The Cubone nodded as if he understood what he was supposed to do now and said, "Whatever my mission happens to actually be… I suspect it involves you somehow… and whoever you're trying to rescue… I'll tag along and help out… until I get orders telling me to do otherwise." Thompson was breathing very heavily by this point.

Locke thought about it for a second, 'It would certainly be better if I had help.' "Alright, but don't expect me to slow down any."

"Ah, yes, that reminds me… You may not have noticed… but this storm is getting rather nasty… In fact, the rain is really starting to sting… The people we're chasing will have to stop and find shelter which means we should take advantage of the situation and stop too." Thompson gasped for air after the excruciatingly long sentence.

Locke slowed his pace and stopped under a large tree. "You're right. I might need your help so it'll be to my advantage to keep you from collapsing."

"How logically and bluntly put…" Thompson gasped as he leaned on his bone.

"We'll stay here until the storm eases off."

Thompson, when he had finally caught his breath, said, "How about you tell me more about our mission? Who exactly are we going after?"

Locke frowned and sat against the tree. "We're going after both of Striker's daughters… The mansion was attacked and they were kidnapped…"

"Wait… both? I thought Striker only had one daughter." Thompson sat next to Locke.

"His second was born overseas and was shipped over here as an indentured servant," Locke replied. "I don't know the details of all that happened. Jack knows more than anybody right now."

"I see… And what about his other daughter… Grace I think it was." Locke flinched at the mention of Grace's name. He wanted more than anything to be by her side right now. "Is she important to you?"

"Yes…"

"I see… Alright, I believe I understand my mission a little more now. I'm going to get some rest. Wake me when the storm lifts." Thompson turned the other direction and lay down, holding his bone close to him as he did so.

Locke didn't answer. He'd barely heard what Thompson had said. Closing his eyes, he focused on finding Grace's Aura. Following the trail she left behind, he eventually found her among six other Auras. Blotting out everyone else, he focused solely on her. 'Grace,' he thought, 'can you hear me?'

* * *

Grace's eyes shot open. She wanted to believe that everything up to this point had been nothing but a bad dream, but the purple pendant around her neck said otherwise. She was still hurting from her fight with Serena and hadn't been able to put up much of a struggle. Julia was curled up next to her dozing…

Despite the pendant, Locke had somehow been able to make contact with her. She got a brief feeling for what he sensed and she was pleased to know he wasn't that far behind. He even had help with him. It looked like he was going to save her yet again.

Lifting her head, she examined every detail around her and made sure that she'd be ready the next time he got past the barriers put up by the pendant. There were five kidnappers, all of which were hidden under dark cloaks. She wished she could sense more about them, but even though the pendant wasn't as strong as the one she'd worn before, it still blocked much of her powers. The cloaked figures weren't doing much of anything and just acted lethargic; not moving or even talking to each other.

"Awake now, I see." Grace flinched and turned her head toward the cloaked figure closest to her. The voice was distinctly feminine and contained a soothing quality. "Sorry about all of this, but you know how war goes…"

"Is this a typical mindset in your army?" Grace asked.

"No, just me. I'm the oddball in this group." She removed her hood and smiled at Grace. She was a Sneasle and had a purple star painted on her forehead. "My name is Aurora. May I ask yours?"

"Grace… Are you always so polite to the people you capture?" Grace shifted into a sitting position and rubbed the numbness out of her arms.

"I tend to act polite, yes. So do you know why you've been taken?" Aurora moved closer to Grace as she spoke.

"Something to do with Locke?"

"Beats me. I'm just following orders. The higher ups don't tend to tell us much of anything. I was just curious, is all." Aurora moved even closer and her voice got lower. "How come you haven't tried to escape yet? Aren't you going to try and Teleport?"

Grace laughed a little to herself and replied, "The last time I tried that with one of these on I was knocked out."

Aurora frowned and asked, "Have you been captured by us before?"

"No. You're not the only ones who use these pendants."

"Oh…" Aurora moved even closer to Grace before continuing. "To be honest, I'm surprised you're willing to talk to me. Surprised, but happy…"

"And why's that?"

"My squad isn't very talkative and most of the people we capture tend to hold it against me."

"Sounds like you're lonely."

"That about sums it all up. What I wouldn't give to get out of this whole deal." She sighed and sat all the way down next to Grace.

"Then why don't you just leave?"

Aurora reached inside her cloak and revealed a pendant similar to the one Grace and Julia wore, but was instead a light blue color and gave off a faint glow. "This has a similar effect to what yours does. No matter how much I want to, I can't leave my group. It'll kill me if I do."

Grace grinned. If the pendant worked the same way hers did, then she might be able to cut a deal with the Sneasle. But that would have to wait until Locke got to her. "I'm kind of tired, actually. We can talk more when we start walking again, okay?"Aurora nodded joyfully so Grace closed her eyes and opened her mind to wait for Locke to break through the barriers again.

* * *

Thompson's eyes opened slowly. It was still raining, but most of the thunder and lightning had ceased. Yawning, he stretched and leaned on his bone to stand up. Locke was sitting up in the tree with his eyes closed. What caught Thompson's attention, however, was the faint blue glow emanating from his body. He thought, 'This must be the Aura his species are known for…'

Locke's eyes suddenly opened and he jumped down from the tree branch. "They've started moving again, let's go. Things are a little different now. We'll be rescuing three girls instead of two."

Thompson shook his head a little before saying, "I'm not going to even ask. Just lead the way."

"Good," Locke replied. A moment later, he broke into a sudden run and Thompson cursed under his breath.

'I just had to be assigned a mission helping someone who can not only run fast, but also for a long time,' he thought, 'Oh well… The faster we finish, the faster I can… I don't even know when I'm finished… or what I'm supposed to do once I'm done…' Thompson finally just shrugged and broke into a run pursuing Locke. Using his bone for balance, he increased his speed to catch up with Locke. "So how far ahead are they?"

"Not very far. We should reach them in under an hour."

"At this rate, I'll be burned out before we get there. I know you're eager to reach them, Locke, but take things into consideration. They're having to lug three prison-"

Locke cut him off and said, "Two prisoners."

Thompson frowned and almost slipped in some wet mud. He hated when he didn't know all the details. "What about the third girl you were talking about?"

"She's one of the kidnappers," Locke replied bluntly as he thankfully slowed his pace a little.

Thompson was a little shocked when he heard this. Locke seemed a little reckless, but not insane. "Where are you getting your information?"

"I was able to contact Grace. There are five kidnappers all together and one of them we'll be saving."

Thompson sighed again. "I don't really understand, but I'll trust your judgment for now."

"Good."

* * *

Grace held Julia close to her as they marched through the rain. The forest was dark and it was difficult to see. Most of the cloaked figures marched in front of them while Aurora was given the task to guard the rear. "Aurora, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, it's too damn quiet anyways." She sped up and walked beside her and Julia.

"If I could give you a way out, would you take it?" Grace whispered.

"In a heartbeat, but I doubt you can. Our trail's been washed away so there's no one coming to save you and even if they were, they would still have to get past the other four. There's very little chance a group could reach us at this point and one person wouldn't stand a chance. We're all considered elites. I doubt even the legendary Striker himself could defeat all of them alone."

"What about someone who's on even ground with Striker and much younger," Grace replied excitedly. She enjoyed boasting about Locke.

"I doubt a person like that really exists…" Aurora trailed off as reality seemed to dawn on her. "That person is coming after you."

"Yes. He'll be here any time now, so stick close to me. As long as you do, you should be safe and we'll be able to get you out."

Aurora looked dumbfounded. "But… how can you… What about the pendant?"

"I know how to get it off, but you'll have to wait," Grace whispered. "Trust me."

Aurora didn't speak for a long time. Grace let her think about it. She was being asked to leave a life that she hated, but it was also a life she knew. Focusing on Julia, Grace checked to make sure she was alright. Her eyes were dropping and she was having trouble keeping up. "Just a little longer, Julia." Julia responded with a weak whimper and pressed her body closer to Grace's.

* * *

Aurora was being torn apart inside. Part of her wanted desperately to take Grace up on her offer, but that would mean leaving everything behind. She would be a traitor to her nation. She would be abandoning the family she loved. It was true that she hadn't seen them since she was chosen to join the elites, but as long as she followed orders there was always a chance she'd get to go home again.

'Imagining escape is one thing, but if I actually do it… And how do I know Grace's country is any better? Any time the Republic is mentioned around the base it's with hatred. The entire civilization is deemed a violent and backwards one without so much as a definite name, but no one ever goes into specifics… and Grace is one of the nicest girls I've ever met and Julia just looks pitiful… They're the opposite of what I'd expected as are just about every prisoner we capture…' Aurora looked up to see Grace staring back at her with her beautiful light blue eyes. "Grace… I've made up my mind."

Grace turned and smiled at her. "Good… because it's time." Almost immediately afterward, a blue blur appeared in front of the group and they were all hit by a minor shockwave as the earth indented under him. He slowly looked up from under his hat and frowned. The four other elites immediately surrounded him and got ready to attack. One of them, Boris, turned to her and said, "What are you doing? We're going to need your help!"

"I… I…" Aurora was on the verge of tears. He'd been one of the few elites that would even talk to her even in her own squad. "I'm sorry…" The Riolu in the circle suddenly disappeared along with one of her former teammates. The remaining three put their backs to each other in a defensive position. They looked up and saw the Riolu in the trees fighting with the one who'd disappeared. He didn't last long before he was hit by a Force Palm and thrown to the ground.

An object flew out of the forest and knocked another elite out of the group. As he stood up again, a Cubone sprung out of the ground behind him and smashed him over the head with his bone, knocking him to the ground. A dark pool spread out from where he lay on the ground, mixing with the muddy water. Aurora turned away as she began to sob. Grace took her claw and said, "Look up." When she did, Grace removed the blue pendant from around Aurora's neck.

"There, now remove mine." Aurora took the purple pendant off of Grace and her senses came rushing back to her. She could feel the stress the Cubone was under, the weariness that Julia was feeling, but most of all she could feel Locke. He was in a state somewhere between worrying about the battle and joy at reaching her. Grace shut out the emotions and focused on the task at hand. After removing the pendant from Julia, she took her and Aurora away from the battle.

Grace couldn't sense any of Aurora's emotions, but she knew they had to be tearing her apart. Grace led the both of them through the forest and sat them down when she judged them to be far enough away. Julia just seemed too tired to function anymore and the Ralts fell asleep on Grace's lap.

Aurora shook her head and stared at Grace. Her eyes seemed to shift between blue, silver, and green. The colors blended together as she moved, revealing much of the spectrum. After a few moments of silence, Aurora said, "They're how I got my name…"

"They're beautiful."

"You're the first in a long time to see it that way. Back at the base, they just set me apart. Most of our training revolves around the idea of conforming to our unit to be more effective. The other Elites saw me as inferior since I rarely took interest in that training. They would talk about how that kind of behavior would end up killing my entire unit… It looks like they were right."

"I don't want you to worry about that," Grace replied, "It's not your fault." Minutes passed and the occasional tree breaking or attacks colliding were heard from the battle field.

After a particularly loud thud, Aurora turned toward it and said, "From the sound of that Riolu, I bet we wouldn't have stood a chance even if I was helping." Aurora sighed and looked away. "Even with all of our training, two of your fighters were able to track us without any problem and it looks like they'll beat us too. I always thought the rumors surrounding your civilization were false."

"How so?"

"You were always considered barbaric or backwards, but from what I've seen the opposite is true. You must have a very strong leader." Aurora leaned back, looking up into the canopy of the trees the rain dripping down her face.

"Actually, I think you defeated our leader when you kidnapped me… Well, he'll be our leader until the inauguration next year."

Aurora looked at Grace with confusion evident on her face. "That doesn't make any since. Did someone defeat him recently?"

"No, he decided not to run for another term." The confusion evident on Aurora's face only increased so Grace continued, "We vote for our leader every four years. We actually just voted hours ago for our next leader."

"I don't understand. Your soldiers are so powerful. How does he lead effectively if the soldiers know he might be ousted in a mere four years? And what keeps a leader fro-"

"You'll honestly have to ask Locke about all this stuff. Politics tend to make my head spin, but he understands it very well. He can tell you everything once he finishes up." Almost on cue, two large blasts were heard from the battle area almost right after each other and that was followed by a massive wind gust. The rain around the battlefield dissipated into a shroud of mist and steam.

* * *

Locke dived through the air toward the third kidnapper. The first two were easy since they had the element of surprise, but now they were on more even terms. Thompson was struggling with his opponent and was tiring quickly, but Locke trusted that he knew his limits and would call for help if he needed it. Locke landed and quickly rolled to avoid a Razor Leaf.

The Nuzleaf he was fighting was definitely strong. He had a crescent moon painted on his forehead where as the others had a star. 'He must be the squad leader,' Locke thought. Locke watched his movements and braced himself when he disappeared. He appeared behind him and hit him with a Faint Attack so strong that it sent him flying into a nearby tree.

The tree shuddered and the branches snapped and cracked as it fell. As Locke struggled to get up, he glared at the Nuzleaf. "I won't let you win!" Locke yelled as he used Quick Attack and slammed into his foe. The Nuzleaf grabbed Locke and threw him into the air which he immediately followed with another Razor Leaf. Locke rolled into a ball and barreled through the attack before unrolling and hitting his opponent across the face with a strong kick.

Locke used the kick to slow his descent enough to land without much trouble. Looking up from under his hat, Locke had to dodge to the side as the Nuzleaf began to attack with a flurry of kicks and punches. Locke began to counter with his own attacks. Feeling a little desperate, Locke almost used Blaze Kick, but remembered his promise to Grace and held back.

Locke mimicked the same move the Nuzleaf used and threw him into the air, but instead jumped above him to deliver a downward kick that sent him flying down into the ground leaving a small crater in the ground. Coming down on top of him, he began to use Force Palm, but each one was parried by the Nuzleaf so he stopped wasting his energy and resorted to his regular kicks and punches.

Locke redistributed the energy to help speed himself up and the Nuzleaf apparently couldn't handle it. Jumping back, he began to charge up a Hyper Beam. Locke jumped back too and used Copy Cat as fast as he could. The other Hyper Beam fired first, but Locke had reacted fast enough to fire his own before it reached him. The beams collided and the energy created a large shockwave that knocked both Locke and the Nuzleaf back.

Locke stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Taking advantage of the recharge time both of them had to endure before the fight could continue, Locke said, "You're pretty strong. You even managed to overcome the type advantage of my Force Palms."

The Nuzleaf grinned before replying, "I would have never imagined a Riolu could wield such power. I'd hate to fight you after you evolve. I suggest we exchange names so that if we ever meet off the battle field we can have a drink sometime."

Locke laughed and replied, "I'd like that. My name's Locke."

"And I'm Boris… Well, neither of us can go on much longer so I suggest we call it a draw for now." The Nuzleaf turned and began to walk off. After a few steps, he looked over shoulder and said, "Can I ask you a favor?"

"That depends on the favor."

"Take care of Aurora for me. She'll be branded a traitor by my nation and most likely treated as an enemy by yours. She'll need some taking care of and you seem more than capable."

"I'll see what I can do." The Nuzleaf turned and melted into the foliage of the forest. Locke found Thompson leaning against a nearby tree. He was breathing heavily and was obviously wiped out. "Are you feeling alright?"

"That's the hardest I've had to fight in a while, but I'll be fine. Can't say the same for the one I was fighting, though." Thompson stretched and began rubbing the areas where he was sore. "What did he say to you before he walked off? Was it some sort of threat on behalf of his nation?"

"No… He said we should share a drink sometime and then asked me to take care of his former comrade." Locke readjusted his hat as it had shifted during battle. "That Nuzleaf will be someone to watch out for in the future."

Thompson merely nodded before walking into the forest. "We might as well join the others so we can plan our next move."

"Shouldn't we be heading back to the Capitol?" Locke asked as he followed.

"Maybe, but I think it would be wiser to take a different course. You may not have noticed, but we managed to travel a vast distance. Both of us are worn out and not prepared for a very long journey. I think we should find a small settlement where we can rest and wait for assistance."

Locke gave him a funny look before saying, "You're either real smart or have a lazy streak." Thompson merely shrugged as they reached Grace and the others. Julia was asleep on Grace's lap and the girl Grace had told him about, Aurora, was sitting on the ground with her legs crossed and her hood up. Locke leaned down next to Grace and hugged her tightly. He let go when both of them understandably groaned in pain. "Sorry, I forgot you were injured."

Grace gave him a weak smile and replied, "You're hurt too, so we'll call it even."

"I'm sorry I let this happen."

"It's not your fault, Locke. I'm sorry you had to come all this way to save me…"

"That doesn't matter. You know I'll always come to save you no matter how far…"

* * *

Aurora watched in fascination at Grace and the Riolu. 'They just seem happy to be together again…'

"Jealous?" Aurora turned to find a Cubone. He must have been the second fighter.

"I guess you could say that."

"I'd be too, if I thought about that kind of thing very often. They obviously care about each other a lot." The Cubone leaned on his bone. "Oh, my name's Thompson by the way."

"I'm Aurora… To think that your nation is training fighters like you two…" Aurora couldn't get over how strong both of them were. "You took out almost an entire squad of Elites… and one of the stronger ones at that…"

"If it helps your pride any, Locke has been with the Service for only a few days if even that. From what I can tell, most of his skills are his own. And that Nuzleaf called it a tie before walking away so we didn't defeat your entire team."

Aurora's spirits rose when she heard this. "Boris is alive?"

"Yeah, he's fine. I wouldn't be so sure about the others though…" Thompson said gloomily.

Aurora nodded, but that news didn't upset her any. The other members of her team treated her like dirt. Boris was the only one who talked to her at all. Looking up at the Cubone, Aurora smiled. 'Come to think of it, he's been nicer to me than most of my team…' she thought. "Why don't you have a seat? You must be exhausted."

He smiled and said, "Got that right," before plopping down in the grass next to her. Aurora moved closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. She giggled a little when he seemed to fidget uncomfortably.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in the most innocent voice she could muster.

"You're- uh… You're lea-… No…" Aurora giggled again and snuggled into his shoulder. Things had finally begun to look up…

* * *

A/N- Stupid line breaks... Anyways, what did you all think? Lots of new characters in this chapter all of which will be playing key roles... Well they might, I haven't fully decided yet. I'll try to keep the next update under two weeks like I almost did this time, but only if you click that link right below this right now. PLEASE! For the love between Grace and Locke, REVIEW! I know based on the large number of hits only on my last chapter that there are a lot of people following this story so please speak out! Ugh... Well there's my cliche' plea for a review. Stay frosty... Oh, and I must congratulate **ShadowTeam** for answering last chapters history question. Great job **ShadowTeam**!

Special thanks to...

**xxxxxSilverDrumxxxxx**

**Ketchum Kid**

**Ri2**

**monkies ate my sisters**

**Silver Sneasel**

**Imagination Domination**

**lupyne**

**ShadowTeam**


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